Guyanese denied Canadian visa

GUYANESE resident Errol Lam is calling on the Canadian High Commissioner in TT to explain the real reason he was denied a temporary Canadian visa, allowing him entry to that country to pay his last respects to his mother. Lam said that he visited the Canadian High Commission last Wednesday to request a visa to enter Canada to attend his mother’s funeral, however, he was denied the visa on the grounds that he did not “meet the requirements for a temporary resident visa.” A disappointed Lam said that he provided the High Commission with documentation on his marital status, letters from a mining company that he was employed with and from the Guyana Foreign Affairs Ministry, a death certificate attesting to his mother’s death and the date and time of the funeral in Canada, a deed for land that he owns and information on his family ties in Guyana.

However, he was still denied the visa by an officer, who allegedly told him “all you Guyanese does want to go Canada under refugee status. But not this time, you not getting through.” He said he even suggested that he be allowed to visit the country under the supervision of an immigration officer and that he be escorted to the funeral and back to the airport, however this request was also denied. “Imagine, this was my last chance to see my mother and they denied me that. I never wanted to stay permanently in their country, I just wanted to see my mom,” Lam explained. Lam, a freelance photojournalist in Guyana said that when he received the news of his mother’s death he immediately flew to Trinidad to apply for the visa, since they did not issue them in Guyana.

Lam explained that the letter he received from the Canadian High Commission indicated that several factors were considered before the decision was arrived at, including his travel and identity documents, reason for travelling to Canada and his contacts there, financial means for the trip, ties to his country of residence including employment and family ties and whether he was likely to leave at the end of his authorised stay. Lam explained that he provided the Commission with his passport and identification documents, a copy of his mother’s death certificate including the date and time of the funeral, a letter from his brother stating that he would cover all his financial costs and letters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guyana indicating that he was a freelance journalist and from a mining company where he was employed for four years.

Lam, who is married and has four children and a grandchild, said that he provided proof of his marital status and went as far as showing the officer pictures of his wife, children and grandchildren, but all this was to no avail. Lam also informed Newsday that he had previously applied for a visa a few weeks ago, after he received a letter from Toronto General Hospital stating that his mother’s health had deteriorated and that she may not survive very long. He said that his mother had asked to see him, however, when he visited the Commis-sion he was told by the same officer, “Sorry sir, I don’t think this constitutes an emergency.” “Now that my mom has died, the same officer denied me entry to the country to pay my last respects. It leaves me to wonder if she has something against Guyanese people. “I don’t want to live there, I just wanted to see my mom one last time,” stated Lam. Lam noted that since he was not allowed to attend his mother’s funeral he did the next best thing, he made arrangements for an evening memorial service to be held at the Trinity Cathedral. Lam’s mother Catherine was buried at the Highland Memory Gardens in Toronto yesterday. She is survived by nine children.