Pathway for Gay Iraqi Soldier to Residency

[Michelli]

Hello,

This seems to be a very good forum with lots of good advice.

I have a friend I am trying to help out. He worked for the occupation forces as an interpretor in Iraq. Interpretors were especially vunerable to persecution and he was unable to even travel to visit his own family within Iraq. After 3 of his interpretor friends were beheaded he was allowed to immigrate as a refugee. He is gay. He is afraid to be out even within the BC Iraqi community because even in Canada he would be rejected by his own ethnic community and word could get back to his family in Iraq, the family would be shamed, brother in laws would divorce his sisters and the entire family would be shamed. He would lose his family.

He is very much in love with and has an Iraqi boyfriend who is a sergent in the Iraqi miltary. They were together for 5 years. He would like to marry his boyfriend and bring him to Canada. His boyfriend might be able to get a visa to travel to Lebanon or Jordan......however there is not legal gay marriage and they would be unable to provide a legal marriage certificate to the Canadian government. We have heard it is almost impossible to get a visa for the boyfriend to come to Canada so they could be married.

The boyfriend lives in fear that he might be outed as being gay in Iraq. If he were not killed by his piers he believes he would most certainly be killed in an honor killing by his brothers. He is regularly sent to fight. He is afraid if he is found out his fellow soldiers will kill him in friendly fire. If he applied as a gay refugee to come to Canada he would have to do that from another country as it would be very dangerous to do so within Iraq.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a pathway to freedom in Canada for this young man and a way this very in love couple can be married? Can anyone recommend an attorney or social worker who has been successful in helping to resolve similar situations? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank-you!

Michelli

 

[HoneyBird]

what a heart breaking case, perhaps he should consult an immigration lawyer in Canada via teleconferencing or something?

 

[Michelli]

Thank-you for your good heart. I'm hoping that from this forum I will be able to find a good immigration attorney who has some successful experience in helping someone who has been persecuted in this way.

 

[Leon]

The boyfriend who is already in Canada, assuming he already has PR, could try to sponsor him as a conjugal partner but there is again the risk of word getting out etc.

If he wants to try as a refugee, he can try to contact the embassy in Lebanon at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions/beirut.asp or Jordan, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions/amman.asp and ask them what they can do for him.

 

[matthewc]

Whatever path your friend chooses there's a real risk of the truth being discovered. I'm not sure how to minimise that.

In terms of immigrating, there are two options, like Leon said.

1. Refugee. If his life really is in danger due to his sexuality, then he has a legitimate refugee claim.

2. Conjugal partner sponsorship. This is the sort of situation the conjugal partner class was designed for - where there is a legal impediment to marriage.

Good luck assisting your friend.

 

[shandymoo]

I would just tell your friends and family that your friend in iraq wants to live in canada so you have found a way to get him a visa but you have to lie and say you are a couple because there is no discriminatrion against gay people in canada. Get him to tell his friends and family in iraq that he wants to live in canada and has a friend who can get him a visa but we have to pretend to be in a relationship for him to sponsor me. See what their reaction is. They would probably just laugh it off and think of it as getting one over the canadian government and approve of him doing it. The only thing is you would be telling your friends and family the lies not the government! That way if it did get out about the conjugal partner thing friends and family would already be aware that you are posing as a gay couple. However in reality you actually are one but they think you are pretending to be one just for the visa, then once he is in canada move somewhere far away from these discrimnatory people and have a happy gay life together!!