A considerable weight has just been lifted from the shoulders of Tunisian Firas Bouzgarrou: his application for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds has been approved by an officer from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in a decision forwarded to To have to Monday, after years of trying saga.
“It’s a real relief for us, it’s very good news”, launches the main interested party, visibly delighted. He is excited at the idea of seeing his wife and seven-year-old daughter again in Tunisia, whom he has not seen for four years “to the day” and whom he will be able to visit as soon as he receives his permanent resident. “Then we will start the sponsorship procedure so that my family can come here,” he says.
The 40-year-old man was to be deported from Canada on October 30, because he had lost his permanent resident status for having spent too much time with his family in his country of origin. However, he had obtained a temporary residence permit at the last minute following the intervention of the federal Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser.
His lawyer, Mr.e Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who worked on the file with his team, says that the most difficult part is over. “It’s a positive day. But, when we look at his integration, Firas should have been accepted at the first opportunity and avoided being immersed in a fairly detailed legal saga,” he comments.
His client’s file has taken many turns over the past eight years, and he suffered several setbacks before being accepted. It all started in 2014. Barely eight days after obtaining his permanent residence, Firas Bouzgarrou had to return in disaster to Tunisia. His wife was going through a high-risk pregnancy, and their daughter was born with a deformity in her foot, which required medical attention. His wife’s father later died of cancer, which plunged her into depression, and the man stayed longer to support his family.
It was only in 2018 that he returned to Quebec. But, as he had not been able to stay in the country the minimum required by law to maintain his permanent residence, that is to say 730 days (two years) over a period of five years, it was revoked. He then cumulated jobs and multiplied the recourses. He was able to count on the support of the National Assembly of Quebec, of deputies, professors, work colleagues and friends.
A first application for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds was rejected by an officer a year ago, but a Federal Court judge forced the IRCC a few weeks ago to reconsider this decision. However, in parallel, a second similar application was filed last September. It was this one that was approved by another agent on August 3.
“There is really a big difference between the two analyzes of the agents. It’s unfortunate, forget Me Cliche-Rivard. It worries me for the other plaintiffs who are not represented and who cannot go through with it. »
In the reasons for his decision, that The duty obtained, the agent claims to be convinced that Firas Bouzgarrou had the intention of integrating in 2014, “if he had not been confronted with unfortunate circumstances, beyond his control, with his family life”.
“With respect to the applicant’s establishment in Canada, I find there is evidence that the applicant took various steps to meaningfully integrate and connect with other Canadians,” he added. -he. I also find that there is evidence that the applicant has held a legal work permit for several years, is currently employed and has taken steps to consolidate his current position. »
However, he will have to obtain a Quebec selection certificate to obtain his permanent resident card, the issuance of which is experiencing unprecedented delays. “That’s why Firas is asking, considering what happened, to have the possibility of speeding up the processing to complete his file,” said Ms.e Cliche-Rivard.