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Ian Young

The Hongcouver | Once branded spies, Chinese tech trio settles in Canada after immigration officials back down

A single rogue officer in Canada’s Hong Kong consulate is believed responsible for unsubstantiated and explosive espionage accusations against ex-employees of telecoms giant Huawei, that have now been retracted

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Why you can trust SCMP
A combination photo shows (left) a letter obtained by the South China Morning Post last year that said Canadian immigration authorities were preparing to reject the immigration application of a then-employee of Chinese tech firm Huawei, on the grounds of suspected espionage. At right, a Huawei store in Beijing. Photos: SCMP and AFP
Ian Youngin Vancouver

Three ex-employees of Chinese tech giant Huawei, who were accused of espionage by Canadian authorities during their immigration applications, have now been granted permanent residency after officials backed down on the unproven and explosive claims, the South China Morning Post has learned.

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Jean-Francois Harvey, whose Harvey Law Group acted on behalf of the mainland Chinese trio, said the now-withdrawn accusations appeared to have been the work of a single officer in the Canadian consulate-general’s office in Hong Kong.

Harvey said an identification code on correspondence proved that the same case officer dealt with all three clients, who have settled in Canada in the past four months.

They were “definitely not” spies, said the lawyer.

The SCMP reported last May that two of the would-be immigrants had been informed by Canada’s immigration department that their applications for permanent residency were going to be rejected.
Immigration lawyer Jean-Francois Harvey says he believes a single officer in the Canadian consulate-general's office in Hong Kong was behind now-withdrawn spying accusations against three of his clients. Photo: SCMP
Immigration lawyer Jean-Francois Harvey says he believes a single officer in the Canadian consulate-general's office in Hong Kong was behind now-withdrawn spying accusations against three of his clients. Photo: SCMP
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“[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,” read a letter to one of the then-employees of Huawei. That refers to people who belong to an organisation engaged in espionage, government subversion or terrorism. A second applicant was told the same in relation to their spouse, who was employed by Huawei at the time.

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