The torture and pain of staying away from family is being experienced by Abdullah Ali Al-Zawqari, today, who has been swishing off thousands of dollars, since many years to get his children. He had moved to Canada leaving his children in Yemen and now he is losing hope of bringing them to Canada, because of the recently altered age limits for children.
In 2000, Abdullah Ali Al-Zawqari, caught up in a political turmoil in his home country had escaped from Yemen and come to Canada, leaving his three little children back there. His kids way back then had been just 2, 4 and 9 years. He had applied for his humanitarian application in 2009 in the State of Ottawa, and got it approved but only in principle. He got his permanent residency papers for Canada in 2014. The former refugee had applied for political asylum and had become a Toronto man with time, but he has not seen his kids since then.
He had started this battle to get his family to Canada with hope in his heart, and has been struggling for this goal since the last 14 years, but now it seems that the devastated man may never be able to get his two elder sons to Canada. The immigration laws on humanitarian relief and age limits for family reunification were drastically altered and this means his two sons O
mar, aged 24, and Maamon , 20 years, will now be restricted from Canadian sponsorship.
Earlier children under 22 were permitted under the immigration laws but now the age has been reduced to 19 years, and this new law restricts the eligibility for sponsorship. The new law allows kids lesser than 19 years of age to get in and this permits, Abdullah Ali Al-Zawqaris daughter aged 17, to get into Canada but not his sons.
The harassed and the upset, 53 year-old, father exclaims I have not seen my children for 15 years. I was thrilled that I could finally bring them to Canada. Al-Zawqaris wife had died in 2003 in a car accident in Yemen, and he remarried a Canadian woman. He now fears Now, my boys have aged out. The family wont be together again. The bloody and devastating civil war is a source of worry for Al-Zawqari and he laments his sons wellbeing.
The immigration law had been altered last year and according to Patricia Wong, Al-Zawqaris lawyer Mr. Al-Zawqari complied with every request for information from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. He underwent medicals several times. His children underwent medicals. They applied for police certificates. He spent thousands of dollars to send his kids to Egypt to do DNA tests to establish paternity.
She further insisted The immigration forms were filled out countless times and sent to Abu Dhabi at great cost to the father. Still it took five years to get him the permanent resident status. And now, due to this draconian change of the law, Omar and Maamon will not be able to join their father in Canada.
Al-Zawqari, a cook and sole supporter to his kids, failed to submit papers of his first wifes death and a shaky financial status of his second spouse led to the rejection of his application for spousal sponsorship in 2004. He is petrified for the safety of his war exposed family.
Immigration spokesperson Rmi Larivire has confirmed that Al-Zawqaris humanitarian application was submitted before the law became effective but the application was processed in Aug 2007. The delay had been caused due to the spousal sponsorship rejection and this means that he will have to adhere to the new regulations.
