Regina Leader-Post

Mother, daughter given reprieve

- JASON WARICK

SASKATOON — Eniko Reka Kincses and her disabled daughter, Boglarka, can stop packing their suitcases after a deportatio­n order against them was lifted.

“I’m really happy. I can’t

“I’M REALLY HAPPY. I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT IN

WORDS.”

ENIKO REKA KINCSES

explain it in words,” Kincses said Tuesday morning after hearing the news.

“The Canadian people are really good people.”

Later Tuesday, an official with Citizenshi­p and Immigratio­n Canada (CIC) said the Kincses family will also be granted a temporary residence permit while their situation is reviewed. Kincses will be able to resume work as a care home worker and possible operator. At any point, the family could be granted permanent resident status, one step closer to Canadian citizenshi­p.

Kincses and Boglarka were due for deportatio­n from Saskatoon to their home country of Romania on Wednesday at 5 a.m.

Just minutes before a final appeal to the Federal Court on Tuesday morning, their lawyer, Haidah Amirzadeh, was informed the hearing would not be necessary. CIC had lifted the deportatio­n order.

Kincses planned to celebrate Tuesday, but not before returning dozens of messages she received this week.

“I will call everyone I heard from during this heartbreak period.”

Kincses also thanked the 220 people who signed a petition and dozens who offered help this week, various government officials and Amirzadeh. Kincses said Amirzadeh kept telling her to be positive and not despair.

Amirzadeh also thanked supporters and the federal government for reconsider­ing its decision. She said she was particular­ly grateful to the provincial government. On Monday, when news of the case spread, Health Minister Dustin Duncan and Economy Minister Bill Boyd penned a joint letter of support for the Kincses family to federal officials.

They said Kincses was a valuable, skilled worker and assured the federal government the province was willing to cover Boglarka’s “minimal” health care and social services needs.

“We’re very pleased there’s been a positive outcome,” said Rupen Pandya, assistant deputy minister in the labour market developmen­t division of the provincial Ministry of Economy.

“We’re really happy for the family and we’ll move ahead with our federal colleagues on this.”

Pandya said it’s unusual in his experience for a deportatio­n order to be lifted so close — less than 24 hours — to the deadline.

“It’s a very rare occurrence.”

Pandya said the assistant deputy minister of CIC called him from Ottawa on Tuesday morning, thanking him for the provincial ministers’ letter, saying it was helpful.

CIC spokesman Paul Northcott said the federal government monitored the situation closely.

“CIC has been working with the province to find a suitable resolution to this matter,” Northcott said in an email Tuesday.

“As a result, CIC will be issuing Ms. Kincses a temporary resident permit. This would allow CIC sufficient time to carefully assess her applicatio­n for permanent residency.”

Conservati­ve MP Brad Trost, whose riding includes the Kincses’ Sutherland-area home, said Tuesday that no matter the result, immigratio­n officials try to act in a “fair and compassion­ate” manner in all cases.

The Kincses family, who came to Saskatoon from Romania in 2009 through a provincial immigrant nominee program, was ordered to leave Canada because federal officials deemed Boglarka to be “medically inadmissib­le” due to her cerebral palsy. This designatio­n can be applied if officials think an immigrant will consume health or social service resources at or above the level of the average Canadian in the next 10 years.

The Saskatchew­an government’s letter re-affirmed the province’s “full support” for Kincses and her daughter. Supporters noted Boglarka requires no medication, has no unique health needs and the family has not used any social services in their four years in Saskatoon.

“There was a lot of communicat­ion back and forth in the province and the federal department. We have received strong support from (Saskatchew­an’s) minister of economy and minister of health in relation to this specific applicatio­n,” said Amirzadeh.

“We are hoping now that they (can) process the permanent residence applicatio­n.”

Kincses said she is looking forward to her first good sleep in several days.

“My plans? I don’t know right now what is going to happen,” Kincses said.

“My dream is to open a care home and have my daughter (there) while I work.”

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