Moncton man frustrated by process to bring family members to Canada
A Moncton businessman says he is frustrated by delays in his attempts to bring family members from Lebanon to Canada.
Elian Elias, a Canadian citizen, who is originally from Syria, said the biggest obstacle that he is discovering is getting information from the federal government about the immigration process.
Elias has opened two businesses, one in Riverview and another in Moncton, since immigrating in 2010.
"I am here with my mom, my dad, two sisters who are all Canadian citizens," he told Information Morning Moncton.
- Syrian women celebrate end of Ramadan in Moncton
"I still have my older brother, his wife and his five-month old son and my mother-in-law. We're trying hard to bring them over here since the last three years."
Elias applied to bring the rest of his family to Canada but has received no response from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
He then went looking for a local church to sponsor his family, but found no help.
"As I am Canadian citizen, it should be easier to sponsor my family. I got the job for them, I got the home, I got everything they need," Elias said.
"I didn't ask for any financial help from the government or the church either."
CBC contacted officials with Citizen and Immigration Canada, but has yet to receive a reply about the Moncton man's case.
Application process difficult
Elias said the application process wasn't easy and took months to complete.
He sent the documents to Lebanon, where his family are living, and after months of waiting, he tried to contact the Canadian embassy in the country to find out what was going on.
"The only way is the email. I emailed them, emailed them, emailed them. I never heard anything back," he said.
Elias then contacted the International Organization for Migration in Lebanon, which helps refugees, and sent it the file number for his family.
The organization contacted his brother and scheduled medical exams for the family members, which they need to immigrate to Canada.
A couple more months went by and his brother got another call to bring the family in for interviews.
While his mother-in-law was told she would likely be approved, but would have to wait for official confirmation, his brother was told nothing.
Mandatory military service
However, Elias said, his brother was asked about his military service.
"Everybody back home has to go to the military when he finished school, so that's normal," he said.
Yet Elias is nervous that line of questioning may further hold up his brother's application to come to Canada.
He said his brother was in the military almost 10 years ago, before the Syrian civil war started.
Afterwards he owned a store, but lost everything once the war began.
Elias said he keeps trying to email the Canadian embassy and has done so many times over the last several weeks.
But again, he's had no response.
He doesn't understand why its been so difficult considering he has the financial resources to support and employ his family members once they arrive.
Elias said he is happy to see Canada welcome so many refugees from his home country.
"But at the same time it stress me out [that] I couldn't get my family in here," he said.
Elias said he worries for the safety of his family in Lebanon, and the fact they have no work.
