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I came to Canada illegally as a child. Looking for any possible option to become a legal resident.

sns204

Champion Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,234
373
I wondered about whether to keep with the university or not. York made headlines last year in regards to providing education to dreamers. However, won't it shine a light on his indiscretion when he goes for status and has to answer the question of when he got a degree from a Canadian university without any legal status?
 
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Joshua1

Hero Member
Nov 18, 2013
946
473
Thinking outside of the box.... Get an American fiance and get married... move to the US, as opposed to moving to Europe.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
55,684
13,552
Given that you could have moved around to many countries in Europe not sure why your parents insisted on moving to Canada illegally especially the 2nd time. You could have legally lived in England or Ireland if they wanted to move to an English speaking country.
 

amcari

Full Member
Apr 1, 2010
44
11
Let me start by providing any relevant information that might impact my options. I am a 20 year old white male currently living in Toronto. I originally came here from Portugal when I was 2 years old, left Canada to go back to Portugal when I was around 10, moved to Germany and then moved back to Canada when I was around 13 years old. I have been living here in Toronto ever since. I believe my parents and I came here as visitors and then overstayed both times. I have one brother who was born here, so he is a Canadian citizen.

English is my primary language, I've attended school since kindergarten until around grade 5 I believe, and then resumed school from grade 8. I graduated from high school 2 years ago and am currently in my first year in university after applying as a permanent resident (I know I know, both my mother and our lawyer told me to apply as a permanent resident even though I didnt agree with it)

The reason why I've come to this forum is because I am completely fed up with my parents for both choosing to come here illegally and completely screwing up every opportunity they've had to make me and themselves legal immigrants. My father has had multiple work contracts lined up for him, but he would constantly get drunk and get fired from work. He was also recently caught drinking and driving and has had his licence revoked but did not get criminally charged, or something along those lines. My mother's about as smart as a door knob and was the one to suggest my dad's lawyer be the one to handle our immigration issue. All he managed to do was get us to fill out an application for a permanent resident card and waste nearly 2 years of our time. My mother has no sense of urgency in regards to this, and honestly doesn't care about my situation.

Basically, both of my parents are incompetent idiots and I'm looking for any possible way to become a legal immigrant by myself. This situation causes me an ungodly amount of stress and is seriously setting me back in life, as I can't get a job and do the things I want to do. I've lived here practically my whole life, and I identify myself as a Canadian, yet I'm afforded none of the benefits of being one. All of this stemming from the stupid decisions my parents made.

Sorry for the long text, but I'd appreciate it so much if anyone here could give me advice or options on what to do with my situation. I'll even take advice that involves my parents as I'm just desperate for any kind of solution.
 
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DRRD

Full Member
Feb 8, 2018
49
9
Do guys have to be so hard on him he is 20,could you imagine he has no one to depend on emotionally I guess his parents support him financially got knows where they get the money from because his dad is the only working yes he made stupid decisions but he’s parents was his role model. I wonder if he even knew he wasn’t landing in the beginning he’s parents probably was the ones who sign him up for high school,do you know the amount of people in same situation as him families coming to Canada to make a better life they didn’t come across from the border so instead of judging him give some advice that’s all he asked for.I know he is an adult When he turn 18 but he has so much to experience in life I have kids older than him and I will do anything for them that’s legal.So stop be so judgemental and offer some advice because no one is perfect we all have something we regret in live unless you god so some us needs stop pretending like are perfect.
I read a story once about a kid in the US who found out he was illegal because when he submitted his app for university his SSN was a mismatched. He was undocumented unbeknown to him up to that point. You are right children has no fault of their own for the decisions parents make for them. However, he has already made bad decisions as an adult and like you said everyone has. But people are simply trying to let him know that what he's doing as an adult is a big mistake and he's going to be held fully accountable if that time comes --not his parents. He's still blaming his parents for decisions he's made as an adult. By the letter of the law, that's another big no no as well.

Nobody has told him that he should go to immigration and surrender. But the school thing is a different ball-game. This is for his best because when he tries to become legal, this might come back and bite him in the a**.

If anyone goes to IRCC asking for forgiveness and at the same time passing the bucket for one's mistakes, one is going to get deported.

I've studied in 3 different countries at the university level --including the US and Canada, and including multiple universities in each country and first thing they all ask is for proof of your legal status in the country.

Blameshifting is not going to get him anywhere.
 

DRRD

Full Member
Feb 8, 2018
49
9
Thanks for the support but nobody here has come off as judgemental to me. Every message so far has been useful in some way and I appreciate all the help I'm getting here. It's definitely tough though, I have no one else to talk to about this besides my parents and they're the ones who put me in this mess in the first place. Let's just hope an immigration lawyer has some kind of solution.
I'm glad you see it that way. People are simply offering help but at the same time reminding you that your school thing is wrong.
 

DRRD

Full Member
Feb 8, 2018
49
9
I wondered about whether to keep with the university or not. York made headlines last year in regards to providing education to dreamers. However, won't it shine a light on his indiscretion when he goes for status and has to answer the question of when he got a degree from a Canadian university without any legal status?
If he gets a degree from a Canadian university where the institution allowed to study with his current status. He won't be held back.
 

emamabd

Champion Member
Jun 22, 2012
1,815
428
If you wanted to cover your bases, Éire (Ireland) might be a good option as well.
I'd vote for Sweden as a plan B, i think some universities there offer free tuition for EU citizens. Its a wonderful country too..and everyone on the street speaks really good English, so communication won't be a challenge. I think worth a bit of research from the OP.

The Canadian dream is not the only dream, with hard-work and dedication one can make a decent life in any other first world country. Again...i'm not saying OP should give up on Canada, but getting the message across that once he starts researching other options there could be better opportunities out there for his situation - but he won't know until he does some homework.

This is a useful exercise for anyone...not just the OP, at any point in time its always useful to list your goals/priorities in life - see if what you are doing now aligns with it? If yes, see if there's anything you can do better to achieve quicker/better results. If not, work on identifying options, creating new plans and executing on them.
 
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Zimgyal

Star Member
Jul 8, 2015
100
16
It's illegal to study in Canada without a STUDY PERMIT if you are out of status. At this point talking with a lawyer and mapping out the best way forward is the BEST ADVISE. Good luck and keep us posted on what your lawyer recommends if you don't mind!!! A lot of people in situations like this.
 

SarahF

Member
Oct 12, 2017
16
7
Your University application probably decreased your chances. I guess you could have left Canada when you were an adult and applied for a Canadian study permit from Portugal (or what ever country you have a citizenship for). Since you did not have a legal status when you were a minor, I would assume whatever officer is looking at your study permit application can understand, and you could have explained that you left Canada as an adult and want to come back to study because that is the only country you know.

Anyways, the best advice I can give you is to talk to an immigration lawyer. Don't bother too much about the replies to your post.
 

zardoz

VIP Member
Feb 2, 2013
13,298
2,167
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
16-02-2013
VISA ISSUED...
31-07-2013
LANDED..........
09-11-2013
Your University application probably decreased your chances. I guess you could have left Canada when you were an adult and applied for a Canadian study permit from Portugal (or what ever country you have a citizenship for). Since you did not have a legal status when you were a minor, I would assume whatever officer is looking at your study permit application can understand, and you could have explained that you left Canada as an adult and want to come back to study because that is the only country you know.

Anyways, the best advice I can give you is to talk to an immigration lawyer. Don't bother too much about the replies to your post.
Under the current circumstances, there is almost zero possibility that any form of TRV would be granted.