Urgent! Keep Ileen & Veronica Massey in Canada
Donation protected
Ileen and her daughter Veronica fled frightening circumstances in India to follow family in pursuing the promise of a better life in Canada. They have lived in our Capital for 4 years - where they've worked hard (including as essential workers), made good friends and met their life partners.
Ileen's partner is Boguslaw (Bojo) a master stone carver working on the restoration of our Parliament Buildings. He and Ileen are an inseparable, popular couple.
Ileen and Veronica applied for refugee status but it was dismissed. Their common-law spouses applied to sponsor them as permanent Canadian residents, so they can be married.
But after many long months they are still awaiting approvals.
As they were marking their April birthdays, they were informed they would have to leave Canada, and book their flights by May 1st, to return to India. There, they would be at great risk as single, Christian, women; and from escalating pandemic conditions: India is the 2nd worst hit country in the world with 15,321,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases (updated Apr 20th).
Their lawyer can seek an order for deferral, but at yet another $8k cost /$4k each (with legal fees already over $30k to date) which they cannot pay.
Let's URGENTLY raise the funds to help keep Ileen and Veronica in Canada!
As an incentive, I will match the first $500 raised by friends of Ileen or me (be it a $500, two $250, five $100, ten $50 donations, etc.). And encourage any others' incentives.
Catherine Lindquist,
Very Concerned and Proud Friend of Ileen and Veronica
Ileen's partner is Boguslaw (Bojo) a master stone carver working on the restoration of our Parliament Buildings. He and Ileen are an inseparable, popular couple.
Ileen and Veronica applied for refugee status but it was dismissed. Their common-law spouses applied to sponsor them as permanent Canadian residents, so they can be married.
But after many long months they are still awaiting approvals.
As they were marking their April birthdays, they were informed they would have to leave Canada, and book their flights by May 1st, to return to India. There, they would be at great risk as single, Christian, women; and from escalating pandemic conditions: India is the 2nd worst hit country in the world with 15,321,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases (updated Apr 20th).
Their lawyer can seek an order for deferral, but at yet another $8k cost /$4k each (with legal fees already over $30k to date) which they cannot pay.
Let's URGENTLY raise the funds to help keep Ileen and Veronica in Canada!
As an incentive, I will match the first $500 raised by friends of Ileen or me (be it a $500, two $250, five $100, ten $50 donations, etc.). And encourage any others' incentives.
Catherine Lindquist,
Very Concerned and Proud Friend of Ileen and Veronica
Organizer
Catherine Lindquist
Organizer
Ottawa, ON