“Dear friends,
I have wonderful news to share.
Yesterday, at 5:20 pm EST, less than 24 hours before his third scheduled deportation, CIC called young Gergo Balogh (subject of The Star article) to inform him that his H&C application has now been approved and that he can stay in Canada.
The Canadian Romani Alliance has been strongly advocating for this young man and we couldn’t be more thrilled by the outcome. We are incredibly grateful to the Immigration Minister, Honourable Ahmed Hussen for keeping this young man safe, and keeping his little family intact.
Without the collaborative support and efforts from the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, Arif Virani MP Parkdale-High Park, Gergo’s lawyer (Jordan Duviner) and translator/immigration consultant (Nicole Stokes), community support, and journalist, Nicholas Keung’s important and timely article - Gergo would be back in Hungary today.
We wish that all families have happy endings like this one. Hopefully, the Redress for Roma Refugees presented to the Immigration Minister on May 3, 2017 will be successful at helping people like Gergo Balogh. His family and many others, had been exploited for legal aid money by Canadian lawyers who did nothing to help them. Recently, all three lawyers were found guilty of misconduct by the Law Society of Upper Canada. Unfortunately, the LSUC findings do not help those who were deported back to living in danger. The Redress for Roma Refugees is a justice initiative that would give these people an opportunity that was stolen from them - a chance to raise their children in a safe environment where they aren’t subjected to hate, and racially motivated violence, everyday of their lives. ”
Update: Gergo Balogh H&C application