This is an immigration story about a client, her dependent child and her disabled grandchild, who the client takes care of and supports in many ways.
The client originally entered Canada in 1994. The client described a complicated Immigration history, including a failed sponsorship application, deportation, and multiple entries to Canada. After her last entry to Canada in the mid-2000s as a visitor with her dependent daughter, she overstayed her visitor visa.
In 2017 the client sought Unison Legal Clinic’s assistance as she could no longer afford the fees of the Immigration Consultant that she was working with, as well as the required immigration fees to apply for permanent residence based on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds. The case was assigned to Rosalinda Paredes.
This was a complicated case, which involved strong arguments for the principle of the Best Interest of the Child to be considered by Immigration in relation to the client’s dependent child, but also in relation to one of her grandchildren, living with a disability. The application process was caught in the upheaval of COVID-19, but Rosalinda with the help of the Legal Team, was able to push through and submitted the client’s application in September of 2021.
In January of this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada granted the client’s application. This means a great deal for the client after working so hard to obtain her legal status in Canada. The client plans to set up her own business and her daughter is preparing to go to university!