Nigerian man, frustrated by the immigration process, begs Canada to deport him

Posted by admin Canadian Politics, Headlines, NNP News Sunday, August 2nd, 2020

Alpha Ndamati

(NNP) At a time when many who have overstayed their visas are adopting all tactics to avoid Canada Border Service agents, one such person is pleading with the agency to deport him immediately. Alpha Ndamati, a Nigerian man who has lived in Canada for the past ten years, says he is frustrated and has exhausted all options trying to get legal papers to remain in the country.

Ndamati, believing he is at the end of his immigration process with no light at the end of the tunnel, has reached out to two agencies of the federal government asking to be deported to enable him begin a new life in his native Nigeria. In a statement released to the media, the 30 year-old 2014 Dalhousie University graduate, says the process has been rigorous, frustrating with new twist at each turn. He stated, “I’m left dumbfounded, I don’t wish this situation for my worst enemy.”

Ndamati says he is ready to be deported and would have bought his own ticket to Nigeria had he the means to do so. But he stated that he has spent a lot of money on the process, including $2,000 paid to what he described as a dubious immigration consultant to assist him with the process. The only option left for him he believes, is to reach out to the various federal agencies dealing with immigration to begin his deportation process.

Ndamati’s arduous immigration journey began after he completed his bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As most international students, he secured a post-graduate work permit that allowed him to work for three years. He moved across the country to British Columbia where he worked in the oil and gas industry, before relocating to Yellowknife in Northwest Territories about eighteen months after getting his work permit.

His relocation to the cold and sparsely populated northern territories was predated on what he thought would be a fairly easy territorial nomination process for permanent residency. His employer, a hardware store, Corothers Home Hardware, agreed to apply for the nomination program on his behalf. But he soon realized that his employer did not meet all the requirements leading to the denial of his application. Specifically, the employer did not meet the advertising standards for the position which required that positions must be advertised for a certain length of time with no locals available, before the nominee program could be used to fill the position. Ndamati appealed the decision with the assistance of a local law firm, McLennan Ross LLP.

The law firm argued for a review of his application and it was granted by the Territories’ immigration department. To his favour, the department acknowledged some irregularities with the deadline provided and program guidelines. Resultantly, Ndamati’s employer received a letter from the department asking it to resubmit his application. Ndamati’s hope was however, dashed just two days after his employer received the letter, when he was notified by the immigration official working on his file that his employer had withdrawn the application citing his poor work performance and expiring work permit. Ndamati disputes his employer’s claim of poor work performance and says salary increases received successively are proof of satisfactory work performance.

Determined to remain in the country, Ndamati contacted his member of federal parliament, Michael McLeod’s office. But there appeared not to be any headway through the MP’s office. He also contacted the Embassy of Nigeria in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, and says his savings are exhausted and he has stopped working given the expiration of his work permit. He stated, “This has been 10 years. I’m not supposed to be in this position if I’ve done everything outlined that I should do.”

Ndamati laments that he has been given the run around by the federal agencies on his next move, and there has not been a clear direction on how to leave the country. When he reached out to Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) to begin his deportation process, he was referred to the RCMP, the federal police that has jurisdiction for the Northwest Territories. But the RCMP, upon contact, directed him back to the CBSA, saying all immigration matters are handled by them. This confusion between the federal agencies has left Ndamati in a deportation limbo.

With 80 percent approval rate of all territorial nominee applications in the last two years, Ndamati’s application was among the few that was rejected based on his employer’s inability to meet all the stated requirements and eventual withdrawal of his application by the employer. A spokesman for the territories’ government stated that applications are denied for a number of reasons, including insufficient documents or information, employer withdrawing the application, and misleading information, among others.

Northwest Territories opened its nomination process in 2017 to encourage immigrants to settle in the Territories closer to the Arctic Region and known for its bitter winters that often deep to freezing levels.

-Written by NewNigerianPolitics

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