“Harsh school report dashed immigration hopes: lawyer”

FROM WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM: See excerpt below

An “exaggerated” school psychologist’s report on a girl’s special needs that was worded “as negatively as possible” in order to secure school division funding was used by federal immigration officials to reject her and her family’s bid to stay in Canada, says a memorandum filed in Federal Court on Monday.

Jon and Karissa Warkentin moved their family from Colorado after buying a tourist lodge in Waterhen, Man., and resettling to Canada in 2013 with plans to make it their permanent home. That dream was dashed after immigration officials denied the family’s application for permanent resident status, saying six-year-old Karalynn is medically inadmissible because of a 2015 school psychologist’s assessment. Her parents, whose work visas expire Nov. 24, hired an immigration lawyer who has already filed a motion for leave to have a Federal Court judge review their case.

On Monday, Alastair Clarke said he filed a 27-page memo with the Federal Court arguing the immigration officials’ decision was based on a report by a school psychologist rather than a pediatric specialist, as directed by immigration guidelines.

It points to a Frontier School Division psychologist’s November 2015 report that said Karalynn — who started having seizures in 2014 — was showing signs of global developmental delay (GDD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of his assessment, he said, was “to determine Karalynn’s specific strengths and areas of challenges.” It was not an immigration medical examination or for diagnostic purposes or in any way conclusive, says the memo filed with the court. Federal immigration officials, however, based their conclusion that Karalynn is medically inadmissible on the report which said she had “signs of” GDD and ADHD, the memo said. […]

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