Blind Algerian wins fight for Canadian visa
October 30 2009 by Liam Clifford
Canada shows its compassion for Algerian immigrant.
An Algerian man, who
has spent four years living in Canada holed up in a Catholic church, has been
granted a Canadian visa allowing him to remain legally in the
country.
The blind man was previously refused the visa as he had no job
or family in Canada. However, he has now won the right to stay on humanitarian
grounds.
Living in the church in Montreal from January 2006 allowed
Abdelkader Belaouni to evade deportation for several years, during which time he
made music on his keyboard and wrote. He also volunteered for several
organisations, but was still denied a Canada visa.
His plight began in 1996 when
he moved to the US, living in New York until 9/11, after which time he was put
on a list of people from Muslim countries. His passport was taken off him and he
moved to Canada in fear of imprisonment.
After support from over 250
organisations and MPs from all four major political parties, the Canadian
immigration department has now decided to grant Belaouni the right to remain in
Canada.
He says, "I'm happy. I'm so happy. It's like I'm born again.”
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