Although I am happy for you act like the government has made your family suffer for 16 years when the 16 years was totally his own doing and your family’s status in Canada is based on using various aliases and misrepresentation. Your whole family could have lost your status in Canada and been deported a long time ago. It is a miracle that he wasn’t at least deported with and was allowed to remain in Canada all this time especially after it was discovered he had been using fake documents so many times. It may not seem that way but your family has somehow got very lucky and CBSA turned a blind eye and didn’t pursue the rest of your family and deport you all. You actually got lucky for 16 years. When you use false documents multiple times over many years and many entrances and in applications to IRB and CIC there are consequences. Compared to most your father and your family got off very easy and seems to have won a lottery being able to remain in Canada with a work permit and healthcare for so long. Most who have done much less are deported. I am very happy for your family but don’t think the struggle was unwarranted given what he did repeatedly. If anything he is lucky his crimes and the potential consequences on the rest of his family were ignored. If others are reading this story they should assume that there is a very high chance that you will be deported if it is discovered that you have applied for asylum, traveled through Canadian borders, sponsored family, applied for PR, etc. using fake documents. Being able to remain in Canada so long is after such history of misrepresentation is not typical. Most Canadians were relieved when Roxham road was closed so given PR automatically to those who crossed would likely bring up outrage in many who have been crying for Roxham Rd to be closed.
First of all, thank you for conveying your happiness. I will correct you on a few false narratives in your post for actual facts coming from someone who has first hand knowledge of the full situation.
Firstly, I did not say that the government has made my family suffer. I used the word 'struggle' which literally means "strive to achieve or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance." And I stand by my word choice. However, I do agree with you that the struggle was not unwarranted.
Secondly, yes he did apply for asylum using fake documents and he was wrong in not surrendering the said documents upon claiming asylum in Canada in 1996, however, he sponsored his family on real/authentic documents. He was given a temporary SIN like any other asylum seeker and then a permanent SIN once he was given landed immigrant status in 1997 (the same SIN which he holds today). All his provincial IDs he holds til this date (which are the same IDs he's had since being granted landed immigrant status) are authentic and based on whom he really is (certainly not fake IDs). There were no 'various aliases' that he used but there was a case of misrepresentation. He was not travelling through Canada left-right-center on fake IDs and aliases, however, he did travel in/out of Canada 2 times on a false passport (which I agree was wrongful of him). As for my family getting lucky and not being deported, I agree with you that we were very lucky in that sense. However, I would like to point out that it was the IRB judge who made that decision in 2003 to not hold accountable my family for my father's misrepresentation when in a hearing he revoked my father's landed immigrant status. He said it would be 'unfair to punish' the whole family for the actions of one person. Although we had only been in Canada for only 4 years, and it wouldn't have been difficult to deport us, the judge took a compassionate approach and we're forever thankful to him.
As for the CBSA, they were aware of his whereabouts since the case began in 2002 until this day when he became a PR. I have been in contact with the two officers who have handled his file since it's inception. I have been in meetings with both of them. I have spoken in detail to them about why they did not pursue the deportation order. To which I have always gotten the reply that my father was and is not their priority. He has one case of misrepresentation and no other history with the CBSA or any criminal history. It is the officers who said it is not difficult for them to obtain a temporary travel document for my father from his home country's embassy so they can deport him, but at the end of the day he is not their priority. The one thing that they did show surprise at was that my father's government IDs, especially the SIN were not confiscated. They said if the IDs were not confiscated at the time his landed immigrant status was revoked, then they (the CBSA) will let him keep his IDs. Furthermore, it was the first officer handling my father's file who advised and encouraged us to apply for H&C (at that time I had no idea what my father's options were to try and get legal status in Canada). And it was the said officer who said our odds of approval are very high.
Was my father wrong in his misrepresentation, yes. I cannot defend his wrong as a right. Were we lucky not to be deported, certainly I account us - including my father - to be very lucky. At the end of the day I'm thankful to the IRCC for their 'humanitarian and compassionate' decision.