Asylum seekers who housed US whistle-blower Snowden to sue Canadian government over refugee claims
Fearing deportation from Hong Kong, they hope federal court will order authorities to expedite their case
The group has already seen their protection claims rejected by the Immigration Department in Hong Kong in May. Though they have since filed appeals, the seven are now at further risk of detention and eventual deportation to their home countries, where they claim they face violence and persecution.
The asylum seekers’ legal team in Canada is preparing to file an order of “mandamus”, an injunction in which they will ask the federal court to order the government to expedite their claims, based on the fact that the seven are in an “extremely vulnerable” situation in Hong Kong.
Canadian immigration minister Ahmed Hussen has discretionary powers to speed up the screening.
Marc-André Séguin, an immigration lawyer for the seven based in Montreal, said the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong, which is responsible for handling their cases, would do so on a “first come, first served basis”. According to the lawyer, the average processing time of such claims at the consulate is about 52 months – more than four years.