Keep the Londonos in Canada
Donation protected
Hi, I’m Sebastian Gomez Londoño, and in order to stay in Canada, my family and I need your help. **skip to the second to last paragraph if you just want to know the “why” of this campaign**
We are from Colombia, infamous for its troubled socio-political climate. When I was seven, my parents made the decision to take my then nine year old sister and I with them to the United States in hopes of receiving asylum. Despite having our refugee claim denied, we decided to stay for we had established lives and assimilated to the culture with relative ease. That all changed however when, after seven long years in America, my father was deported. My mom took the fact that she had been released from police custody without so much as an ankle monitor as a sign to flee and try all over again in Canada, where we thought they’d be more sympathetic to our cause.
Lo and behold, the result was seldom different here. However those small differences provided some hope. The government backlogged our case because we arrived after a certain law change. Meaning that when our refugee claim was finally put under trial, and promptly denied yet again, five years had passed. Five significant years because Canada has a special clause that grants citizenship to particular cases under “Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds”-H&C (such as how assimilated the people of interest are to Canada) however, this cannot be applied immediately after a denied refugee claim unless there are children under 18 involved. I am 19, and you now know why those five years were so crucial.
Long story short, now our only hope, to eliminate the threat of deportation, is your help. While we cannot apply for H&C, we can still appeal the decision. But due the further law changes (minimum wage increase) we no longer apply for legal aid, meaning we have to pay for the representation from our pocket.
Excuse the drawn out backstory, but I need the world to know the hardships a lot of refugees face and how we are victim to politics just as much as anyone. For the last five years I’ve considered myself Canadian because I love this nation, and now my family and I just feel like for the last 12 years, we have been personas non grata. The provided goal of this gofundme will not only cover the legal fees of the appeal, but will also help people like me in the future. We are part of a Colombian Refugees Association that is doing work to try to get laws changed for backlogged children to receive post secondary education, amongst helping refugees in other aspects of life. This association is where any money that is left over will go.
Thank you for your time, I know I probably used up a lot of it. God bless.
We are from Colombia, infamous for its troubled socio-political climate. When I was seven, my parents made the decision to take my then nine year old sister and I with them to the United States in hopes of receiving asylum. Despite having our refugee claim denied, we decided to stay for we had established lives and assimilated to the culture with relative ease. That all changed however when, after seven long years in America, my father was deported. My mom took the fact that she had been released from police custody without so much as an ankle monitor as a sign to flee and try all over again in Canada, where we thought they’d be more sympathetic to our cause.
Lo and behold, the result was seldom different here. However those small differences provided some hope. The government backlogged our case because we arrived after a certain law change. Meaning that when our refugee claim was finally put under trial, and promptly denied yet again, five years had passed. Five significant years because Canada has a special clause that grants citizenship to particular cases under “Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds”-H&C (such as how assimilated the people of interest are to Canada) however, this cannot be applied immediately after a denied refugee claim unless there are children under 18 involved. I am 19, and you now know why those five years were so crucial.
Long story short, now our only hope, to eliminate the threat of deportation, is your help. While we cannot apply for H&C, we can still appeal the decision. But due the further law changes (minimum wage increase) we no longer apply for legal aid, meaning we have to pay for the representation from our pocket.
Excuse the drawn out backstory, but I need the world to know the hardships a lot of refugees face and how we are victim to politics just as much as anyone. For the last five years I’ve considered myself Canadian because I love this nation, and now my family and I just feel like for the last 12 years, we have been personas non grata. The provided goal of this gofundme will not only cover the legal fees of the appeal, but will also help people like me in the future. We are part of a Colombian Refugees Association that is doing work to try to get laws changed for backlogged children to receive post secondary education, amongst helping refugees in other aspects of life. This association is where any money that is left over will go.
Thank you for your time, I know I probably used up a lot of it. God bless.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sebastian Gomez
Organizer
Hamilton, ON
Maria Gomez Londono
Beneficiary
