Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Canada blocks doctor's immigration because of his disabled daughter in South Africa

From UPI:

CALGARY, Alberta -- Canadian immigration officials have denied a South African doctor's bid for permanent resident status in Calgary because of his daughter's medical condition.

Dr. Stanley Muwanguzi has been working as a critical care physician on a temporary foreign worker permit since 2002 and applied for permanent resident status for himself, his wife, two sons and a daughter already in Alberta, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., reported.

His 22-year-old daughter has been institutionalized in South Africa with cerebral palsy since she was 18 months old, the report said. Muwanguzi said he had no intention of "destabilizing" the girl by moving her to Canada. He visits her twice a year, he said.

A letter from immigration officials denied Muwangazi's request for permanent status, saying a "person whose health condition, severe developmental delay associated with cerebral palsy, might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services" is inadmissible to Canada.

Muwanguzi has appealed but said if things don't happen soon he'll move to the United States, the CBC said.