A family from Ireland remains in limbo at a Vernon motel, with no country to call home.
Support for them is beginning to build after their plight became known last week and they try to wade through legal red tape.
Despite the stress of the situation and word from Vernon's member of Parliament that there's little he can do to help, the family of five is being buoyed by support from the community.
John and Sharon Tyrell-Haslam have been in Canada for more than three years and they would like to stay, but an error on their part and some bad timing has put their time in Canada at risk.
They're here with their three children – Katie, 18, Michael, 12, and Jamie, 9.
However, the youngest child's passport expired while in Canada and they are now wrapped up in a red tape nightmare.
Jamie's passport was sent back to Ireland to be renewed, but then COVID struck and the paperwork got caught up in lockdowns in that country.
To complicate matters, they mistakenly crossed into the U.S. and because they left the country, the whole family had to quarantine for two weeks and were then told they could no longer stay in Canada, as they had been deemed "inadmissible."
John said if they return to Ireland they face another wall of red tape and will have no where to live and no way to support themselves in their homeland.
Vernon resident Padrais Mac Robeard, who is also an Irish citizen, has stepped up to help the family wade through the sea of red tape.
“It is a terrible circumstance they face moving back to Ireland,” Mac Robeard said. “Ireland does not seem to like people who left. You kind of have to re-establish your Irishness.”
John said to get back into the system in Ireland, they would need an address, something they would not have.
Mac Robeard said the family would be in a difficult situation for at least the first six months without a home or any means of income.
“That is the basis of the humanitarian and compassionate grounds for an appeal,” said Mac Robeard.
“Here, we have somewhere to live,” said Sharon. The family is currently living in the Bel Air Motel with the help of Turning Points Collaborative Society.
John works in construction and Sharon is taking classes at Okanagan College. Both say they “love” living in Canada and the life it offers them and their children.
“The story is now they have to leave the country and apply to live here,” said Mac Robeard. “There doesn't appear to be any coherent reason why that is.”
Mac Robeard said the situation is not the fault of CBSA staff who are just following the rules laid out before them, it is the government that must change things.
The family said they contacted North Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative MP Mel Arnold, who told them there was little he could do.
When contacted by Castanet, the MP declined to comment.
“Because your query is in regards to personal casework, MP Arnold must decline to comment as we do not discuss casework undertaken on behalf of individuals,” an email from Arnold's legislative assistant said.
John said it is stressful living in limbo, not knowing if they will ordered out of the country at any moment.
However, Sharon said since their plight has become known, more people are reaching out with offers of assistance.
Louise Mullan came to Canada from Ireland 60 years ago and has offered to be a central contact to help the family.
“It's a terrible situation. It's just shocking,” said Mullan. “I'm just doing what I can from a humanitarian point of view.”
Mullan can be reached by phone at 250-938-6214 or email at [email protected].
