Nigerian family facing deportation from Canada receives temporary residence

A Nigerian family in Canada who faced deportation back to Nigeria has been granted a 6 months temporary residence.

The Adegboyes, who had taken asylum in Canada following safety threats from a cult back home, had been scheduled to return on April 5 after their permanent residency application was rejected.

Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, member of the Québec national assembly and immigration lawyer said federal immigration officials granted the family a temporary residence permit that will allow them to remain in the country while they pursue a bid for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds.

The  Nigerian family’s lawyer confirmed this stating that the Adegboyes are permitted to stay in Canada for six more months, a decision they were “very relieved” to hear.

“Hopefully, if they receive a positive decision on their permanent residence application, they will stay permanently,” Vakkas Bilson said.

Deborah Adegboye came to Quebec with her husband and eldest son in 2017 following religious-fueled threats from cultists. They faced peril after her husband’s conversion to Christianity and refusal to head the cult he belonged to.

His decision to exit was rejected and followed by comminations and an attempted kidnapping of their eldest son.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Adegboye and her husband have worked in the country’s healthcare as orderlies and personal support workers to vulnerable patients, while adding two more children to their family who are educated in french.

Last week, Welcome Collective, an action rights group organised a rally in support of the family. The demonstration contested the decision to deport Adegboye and her family, demanding they be allowed to stay.

Cliche-Rivard says the Adegboyes situation raises concerns about immigration laws for essential workers in Canada.

While he’s happy with the decision, he said their experience shows the need to develop programs that quickly offer permanent status to immigrants who work essential jobs.

“It’s a bit a failure of the system that it got this far,” he said.