A Quebec family has been forced to leave the country next week after 15 years in Canada, a decision they describe as “draconian and shocking” by immigration officials.

Stella Figg, 15, who has lived in Canada her entire life, says Sunday’s soccer game could be her last time on a Canadian sports field:

“It’s so hard to know that I might have to start all over again.”

Stella’s parents came to Canada about 15 years ago with their two children to work, and they went on to have four more children. But after returning from a trip to the United States last week, the family was stopped at the border by the Canada Border Services Agency.

“We’ve been given just two weeks to pack up our house, sell our belongings and leave Canada, possibly forever, with no guarantee of returning,” said Alice Figg, the mother.

According to federal documents, the parents and their two American-born children must leave Canada by Sept. 8 because their work visas have expired. The family has applied for permanent residency several times before, but have been unsuccessful.

“In the past, when our work visas expired, we had 90 days to reapply,” says Brent Feig, the father.

“We had 90 days to reapply. This time, we had the same window, but we weren’t given that opportunity,” explains immigration lawyer Patrice Brune (who is not representing the family).

“There is a possibility that they could apply under humanitarian grounds. In that case, the immigration officer can take into account all the circumstances, including their work history, their level of integration into society, and the children’s situation.”

The family has been living in Quebec since 2017, and their children are enrolled in French-language schools and have made friends. But now all that is at risk.

Alice Feig says:
“Children born in Canada went to school this week to say goodbye to their friends and have final meetings.”

CTV News has reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for comment but has not received a response by the time of publication.

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