Family from France desperate to stay in Calgary, fears for lives if deported
Global News
Members of a family living in Calgary are in a desperate race against time to find a skilled job. They are facing deportation unless their temporary work permit can be renewed.
A couple living in Calgary with their two teenaged sons are so grateful for their Canadian experience but they’re worried they won’t be able to stay.
Global News has agreed not to share their full names to protect their safety.
“We have fallen in love with Canada,” Mary said. “It feels like home.”
“We feel more Canadian than French since the beginning,” Emmanuel said.
The couple says their lives are at risk. Mary says she’s been through hell, surviving years of physical and mental abuse in France.
“The trauma I suffered from abusers started when I was young,” Mary said.
“I was looking… to escape the life I had and it took me a long time to walk in the street and not watch over my shoulder every time,” Mary said. “I am at a place trying to heal.”
The family has been living in Canada for nearly a decade.