Please help my brother, Keith Plumb, struggling in Peru.

This fundraiser has been set up by me, Shirlene Rawlings, to help my brother, Keith Plumb, who is currently living in Peru with his wife, Rocio, their baby, and 2 step-sons.

For over a year now, Keith has been trying to get all his family back to Canada. However, their baby's Canadian passport application was denied because she was born in Peru, and Canada currently has a law that allows only certain Canadians the right to pass citizenship down to their children born abroad. Even though a judge has ruled that the existing law is unconstitutional and must be changed, the Canadian gov't has not yet implemented the changes.

After learning about this law, Keith applied for a special visa to allow the baby to be with the family when they returned to Canada, but that application was denied by the visa officer, because they said she appeared to be a Canadian citizen, and should be requesting a passport. This response is obviously contradictory to the response for the passport application. The immigration lawyer helping the family made an immediate appeal for the decision to be reviewed.

Since then, however, without official permission for their baby to join them in Canada, Keith's family is stuck in Peru, waiting. This unexpected situation has entirely drained the family's financial resources over the last year. Keith, having limited fluency in Spanish, has found some work but is getting a minimal, insufficient wage.

There is hope that the government may make the required changes to the law by December 2024, at which time the baby could apply again for a passport. Or, perhaps the visa application may be reviewed and accepted, but there is no timeline given for the appeal process. In either case, Keith's family is in urgent need of financial support. They are struggling to simply get basic living expenses taken care of. I am asking for family and friends to help in whatever way you feel that you can. Whether you can help with $20 or $2000, he and his family would be so grateful. Here is a breakdown of expenses that he needs help with to get them through to the end of the year:

Basic Living Expenses = $2,500 per month = $10,000 approx. (4 mos.)

Legal Fees Owed = $4,000

And for when their baby is permitted to go with them:

Flights to Canada = $2,000 (4 tickets)

First Month's Rent in Canada = $2,000 approx.

There may be other expenses along the way, but the fundraising goal is at the minimum amount needed. As you can probably guess, this is causing a great deal of stress and some embarrassment for Keith and his family. That is why I am setting this up for them. Please consider sacrificing a night out at a restaurant, or some other luxury, to generously reach out and help in whatever way you feel you can. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!