Man who fled civil war, faced long road to citizenship wants easier path for asylum seekers
CBC
It took nine years of waiting for Christopher Dennis become a Canadian citizen. Now, he wants to be part of change to the system.
Dennis, a former asylum seeker living in Windsor, is calling on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to make it easier for those seeking asylum in Canada.
"Sometimes, the programs are a little complex or it's just way too hard for people who want to come to Canada to immigrate," said Dennis.
Dennis knows what it's like to face a difficult entry into Canada.
He fled his native Liberia when war broke out on Dec. 24, 1989, when the first of two civil wars ravaged the country for the next 14 years. He fled to neighbouring countries, staying in refugee camps.
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Dennis went to school in Ghana and moved to the U.S. in 2003. He studied at Brown College in the U.S., building a successful career in IT.
After graduating from Brown, Dennis applied for asylum in the U.S., which was denied.
"I didn't know what to do anymore," he said. "I was hopeless. 'What will happen?' But [that] did not deter my pursuit for safety and education. So I turned to Canada.
"Canada gave me hope."
He arrived in Canada in 2010. After sitting through a 16-hour interview with border officials at the Ambassador Bridge, Dennis was allowed to enter Canada and apply for asylum.
Three times he applied. Three times he was denied.
"I was worried that I was going to be removed back to a country where my safety [was] going to be in jeopardy," Dennis said.
Undeterred, he tried for a fourth time.