York U prof says permanent residency denied because his son has Down Syndrome: Report
Posted March 14, 2016 1:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A York University professor from Costa Rica who failed to gain permanent residency says his family has been discriminated against because his 13-year-old son, Nico, has Down Syndrome.
According to a CBC.ca report, Felipe Montoya is flying back to his homeland with his family after three years in Canada, but not before berating government officials who deemed his son too much of a financial burden on the system.
Montoya, who came to Canada with his family to teach environmental studies at York University, told the CBC the treatment is unfair and barbaric.
“(My son) was singled out solely because of his genetic identity,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Monday. “The only difference is he has a genetic condition that makes him different.”
“You have people who are deemed inadmissible because they may cost the state.”
Montoya’s wife, Alejandra Garcia-Prieto, said she’s devastated by the experience, adding that people with Down Syndrome “are victims of a stigma.”
The couple also has a 17-year-old daughter.
The family plans to move back to Costa Rica in June, but Montoya is adamant that he’ll bring the issue to light.
He told CBC he’s already contacted several cabinet ministers to discuss the matter with hopes of changing legislation that can prevent permanent residency if a foreign national “might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services.”
Source:Government of Canada, Immigration and Citizenship
