Spotted in Spain, detained by Immigration Canada
Jean Numa Goudou ·
The Real Madrid camps take place starting in May and June. There would be another one in November and that would be the last opportunity for him to apply.
"It's been two years that I keep hearing the same thing, I'm tired and I can't take it anymore," says the mother of the young soccer player, who was scouted for a training stint in Spain with Real Madrid. Enive Bernadotte came to Canada in 2021 as an asylum seeker.
One month later, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) recognized her as a protected person at an expedited hearing. Ms. Bernadotte then applied for permanent residence, including her son Bernivens and the entire family.
"Since then, I've been told they're reviewing the file," she said in an interview with In Texto. "In 2023, I spoke with an officer who told me the processing should be completed by August 2024. Maybe even earlier, but not after."
Due to quotas imposed by Quebec, two and a half additional years were added to her wait time for permanent residence. "If she moves to another province, the quota issue would be resolved," notes François Jean-Denis of Visionmax services, a firm specializing in immigration. Ms. Bernadotte says she considered it, but on a friend's advice, chose not to.
"Moreover," he adds, "the Canada-Quebec Accord does not provide for quotas in the protected persons category. I don't know why Justin Trudeau agreed to that."
The Members of Parliament?
And the wait goes on. In 2024, her son Bernivens was scouted by Real Madrid for a training stint in Spain. The family spent $5,000 USD, equivalent to $8,000 Canadian dollars, in fees for this opportunity. The problem is that the young soccer player, who came to Canada with his father after his mother, is an asylum seeker. His file has not yet been processed by the IRB.
Yet, had Immigration Canada finalized his mother's file, Bernivens would have benefited by obtaining permanent residence at the same time. This would have allowed him to travel today.
Enive Bernadotte then contacted the offices of both the provincial and federal members of parliament to leverage their political connections in the matter. From Denis Trudel of the Bloc québécois to Natilien Joseph of the Liberal Party of Canada, or Ian Lafrenière of the CAQ, everyone told her: "we cannot interfere."
"That's not entirely true," says Mr. Jean-Denis. Not for a file that has already left the IRB's corridors.
"In the era of Paul Martin, singer Corneille was granted citizenship without going through permanent residence, and Ukrainians received their permanent residence upon landing at the airport," recalls François Jean-Denis.
"If there's a will to do something, it can always be done, because laws are in the service of people, not the other way around," concludes the immigration specialist.
In an email to In Texto, the federal member of parliament for Longueuil-St-Hubert, Natilien Joseph, states that "due to privacy laws, I cannot comment on individual immigration situations."
However, "my office remains available to assist constituents in their processes and answer their questions, within the limits provided by law. Any intervention with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada does, however, require the consent of the person concerned."
The young man's mental health
Enive Bernadotte has tried everything, for nearly three years now. "I requested a travel document for him so he could do his training placement, but nothing. I've done everything, everything within my means," she says. "It's something that eats away at us from the inside. His older brother suffers greatly from it too." Young Bernivens appeared to be bottling everything up inside until quite recently, according to his mother.
"It was when he came to tell me: Mom, could you help me sleep, that I understood the extent of his suffering," confides Ms. Bernadotte. "Since then, I regularly go to his room to make sure he's sleeping."
She says she doesn't believe that going to the media will change anything, but that she has agreed to speak out for others who will come after him. "Not because I believe it will raise awareness." Real Madrid camps take place starting in May and June. There would be another one in November, and that would be his last opportunity to attend.
Otherwise, the family risks losing the opportunity, as well as thousands of dollars.