Threatened with deportation for crimes committed by her ex-husband

Photo Benoît Philie
An immigrant of 39 years of which one must conceal the identity, coming from an island of the Indian ocean, is likely to be deported from Canada with her children, her ex-husband who was convicted for sexual assault on another person. She lives in a home for battered women.

Benoît Philie

Sunday, 18 march, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 18 march, 2018 01:00

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An immigrant victim of domestic violence lives a true nightmare from the court for four years and could be deported from Canada because of the crimes committed by her ex-husband.

“I immigrated here for work and now I find myself in a house for domestic violence. My children have nothing, I have nothing. I don’t even have a dime to take the bus, ” says the woman, 39-year-old, tears in his eyes, holding his boy for two years in the arm.

Victoria, originally from an island located in the Indian ocean, has agreed to testify to the condition of silencing his or her identity, because she fears retaliation and wants to protect her children of 15, 9 and 2 years.

She arrived in Québec in 2014, four years after her husband came to settle near Montreal to work. He had completed the paperwork necessary for her family to come, who hoped to escape poverty.

Sexual assault

However, the husband was accused of sexual assault in Canada in the meantime. His record of permanent residence has been put on ice resulting in the invalidity of the visa of residence of his family.

“But he told me nothing. I had sold everything I had in me and when I arrived at the airport with the two children, they have told me that I had to take the plane because my husband had made a criminal offence, ” says Victoria, head low.

The immigration and refugee board concluded that the expulsion, a decision that Victoria has, however, appealed for reasons of ” humanitarian “. The judgement is expected from one day to the other.

The wife is without status since four years and cannot study, work or receive social assistance. Her ex-husband pleaded guilty in February and also runs the risk of deportation.

Divorce

Despite all this, the woman lived in the same apartment as him, in the north crown, and they had another child on canadian soil.

“In my culture, we can’t abandon her husband like this, just because someone says something. We were married for 17 years, ” she said.

The woman ended by divorce in January after having been the victim of domestic violence. She found refuge in a center for battered women with her three children a few weeks ago and filed a complaint against the father.

“I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t go back in my country, because I have nowhere to go and my boy of two years old is Canadian, ” she said.

The border services Agency of Canada, accuses him of having remained with her ex-husband even though he was accused of sexual assault. It also calls for his deportation, as it is considered that their application for permanent residence is tied to that of her ex-husband.

The advocate of Victoria, Stéphane Handfield, believes that it is arguments unacceptable.

“This is a non-sense. It is not responsible for the actions of her ex-husband, who did not even advised of the situation before coming to the country, ” pleads he.

“We are in a sphere of domestic violence… Accuse a woman to stay with her torturer, in 2018, that is a lack of judgment,” adds Me Handfield, referring to the syndrome of the beaten woman.

He considers that the record of his client must be treated without consideration for her ex-husband. If the appeal is granted, the dismissal will be canceled and Victoria will be able to apply for permanent residence.