Exclusive | Canada cites espionage risk from two Huawei employees, saying it plans to reject their immigration applications
Two employees face visa rejection in world-first targeting of telecom giant’s staff, but they categorically deny being spies, immigration consultant says
Canada is citing the risk of espionage as it prepares to reject the immigration applications of two Chinese employees of mainland telecom giant Huawei, in the first such cases to emerge amid a swirl of unsubstantiated international spying concerns about the firm.
In a letter obtained by the South China Morning Post, an immigration officer at Canada’s Hong Kong consulate told one applicant in March: “there are reasonable grounds to believe that you are a member of the inadmissible class of persons described in section 34(1)(f) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.”
A second applicant was told last month that the same concern existed about their spouse, who was included in their immigration application.
“After careful and thorough consideration … I am preparing to refuse your application,” said both letters, which were provided to the SCMP by the applicants’ immigration consultants, Beijing-based Well Trend United.
This is the first time we’ve seen Huawei employees singled out in this way
Well Trend’s vice-president, Victor Lum, said the two Huawei staff “definitely and categorically” deny being spies.
