[img]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2012/09/12/li-nigerian-students_1.jpg[/img]
Victoria Ordu (left) and Ihuoma Amadi say they stopped working at Wal-Mart as soon as they learned it was against the rules of their student visas.





Two federal cabinet ministers have thrown cold water on efforts to stop two University of Regina students from being deported.

Victoria Ordu and Ihuoma Amadi are from Nigeria, and have taken sanctuary in a Regina church for several months because they're afraid they'll be deported.

They have student visas which allow them to work, but only on campus.

They claim they did not know of the restriction and worked for a short time at a Wal-Mart store, but stopped as soon as they learned of the rules.

However, they were ordered to leave the country. Since then there have been protests, petitions and various media reports about their situation.

Last week, Saskatchewan Economy Minister Bill Boyd wrote to federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who is responsible for the Canadian Border Services Agency, expressing concern and asking for an update.

'Student' status questioned

However, on Wednesday, Toews told CBC News there will be no exceptions made for Ordu and Amadi. He went further, saying the two aren't even students.

"I'm advised that the two individuals are not students in accordance with the plan that they've submitted here and have no basis for remaining in Canada," he said.

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenny made similar statements in the House of Commons on Wednesday in response to a question from Saskatchewan Liberal MP Ralph Goodale.

"Both the University of Regina and the Government of Saskatchewan oppose deportation of these two young women for a small honest mistake. Will the minister agree?" Goodale asked.

Fair hearing

Kenney replied the two women received a fair hearing.

"First of all, one of the students told the CBSA that she had not been enrolled in classes and had been academically disqualified, and she had documents confirming that," Kenney said.

"Both of these individuals had hearings before the immigration division before receiving exclusion orders. Both of their social insurance numbers indicated that they did not have permission to work in Canada."

However, a consultant working on the women's cases says that's not true.

He says they were both enrolled at the U of R and while they broke the rules, in this case the punishment does not fit the crime.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/11/01/sk-nigerian-students-1210.html

How exactly did they not know the condition of their visa?

*Ileke-IdI:
How exactly did they not know the condition of their visa?

Believe that, believe anything.

chai....see how oyinbo don see us finish!....e dey pain me seriously....if not for our bad governance, who go wan run go canada?

is this not stale gist?

These people should learn to be considerate after all the private jets our stupid politicians buy from Canada,

Chai!

So na so dem wan deport these 2 fresh fishes wey canadian food and weather don fresh so?

So dem wan deport them back to that hellhole country?

Omase ooo!

otokx: is this not stale gist?

Abi o

I feel for them but i find it difficult to believe they didn't know the rule governing their visa..we student always want to play pranks.... well no place like home their parents will welcome dem na ni abi??

Saw dis few weeks ago....why's it on front page again?

Ouch,may God vindicate you girls...atleast you were morally sound enough to work in Wal-mart and not prostituting.

nigerians - always doing the wrong thing and then trying to appeal to sentiment

4 dem 2 work means dt na dem dey tk kia of demselves ooh n even der ppl go dey expect dollars 4rm dem ooh. Eyaaaaa

Not surprised. They stood no chance. Good luck to them.

is it when the story has grown white beard that it will make front page..? saw this thread in d travel sections sometime ago.
i have noting to say, just feel sorry for them. serously, we think pple like coming back to naija, not at all.....

oyb: nigerians - always doing the wrong thing and then trying to appeal to sentiment

You mean like trying to survive by working for a living ? SMH

kinematic:

You mean like trying to survive by working for a living ? SMH

No...trying to make money by breaking the law. SMDH!!!

Welcome back!

posted before

Welcome home angels. Better luck next time.

Sisi_Kill:
No by trying to make money by breaking the law. SMDH!!!

Since you've never broken a law, i expect you to keep it that way and pray you never do.

kinematic:

You mean like trying to survive by working for a living ? SMH

oyb: nigerians - always doing the wrong thing and then trying to appeal to sentiment

see what i mean?

ItsModella:
When the news came out a few weeks ago, their matter was still being deliberated on. Now the FG of Canada has made its decision.

That being said, I can't understand how they didn't fully comprehend the rules of their visas. You can't work off campus as an international student, everyone knows that. I'm assuming they had an International Student Orientation in their first year where these sorts of things must have been mentioned. There is really is no excuse for their ignorance.

Exactly! They shouldn't wait to be deported may be that will at least prevent more damage, they should buy their own ticket and leave.

Oyibo people sef and their hatred for anything Nigerian. If these girls were caught prostituting or involved in any form of crime...Verdict=Imprisonment or deportation
Now they were trying to make a living for themselves LEGITIMATELY...Verdict=Deportation
I can bet u that if they were South Africans or Ghanians, it wouldn't be the same.
I weep for this country

Decryptor: Oyibo people sef and their hatred for anything Nigerian. If these girls were caught prostituting or involved in any form of crime...Verdict=Imprisonment or deportation
Now they were trying to make a living for themselves LEGITIMATELY...Verdict=Deportation
I can bet u that if they were South Africans or Ghanians, it wouldn't be the same.
I weep for this country

There's nothing legitimate about violating visa terms.

Students are known world over, especially in western countries, to enjoy certain over proportional degree of freedom during their student status and minor breach of the law of the land is most often neglected by the authority. Student status is the closest to citizenship status in most western countries and they often times enjoy close to the full social and fundamental rights of the citizens of the country where they are studying. So, these two could not be telling the whole truth or someone there is really out to get them as i find it difficult to believe that something as flimsy as working at walmart could be a precedence for deportation.

While i was a student in Europe, the official number of days we are allowed to work in a year is 90 days but most students here worked sometimes up to 200 days while some would even take a full year off just to jab and make some money. The authority knows this but never bat an eye.

I personally, while i was a student, went on a jabbing spree for months as a freelancer. What that means is that i was to forward my taxes to the finance office myself but never did it until i received a letter from them informing me that i needed to pay up 4500 Euro tax money. I went to their office and feigned ignorance to the whole process and they ended up there and then writing off the whole owed tax amount and no one ever threatened me with deportation even though my offence could be categorized as a higher offence than the one these two are allegedly involved in.

My point is, someone is telling half truth here and it could be just about anyone of the people involved in this brouhaha.

Deporting students no be mai mai.

@Bandit C
Things have changed significantly in Europe and many western countries now, students working more than the legal limit are being deported.

Most Nigerians see laws/rules as an obstacle to be circumvented. That's why these girls are in this mess. Sadly, some people on this forum don't get it still. Laws are to be obeyed always, or be ready to face the consequences. Do not blame the devil, your enemies in your village nor your political opponents, look in the mirror and you'll see whom to blame.

Hey.. Don't b a silly/HATER. The day u have d opptnity to feel outside, You wont call nija Home. A home is your confort place, your habitat.In other words, Canada is their Home not Nija. Try feel ouside nija so you will be exposed nd free the mental slavery of nija politicians.

There is some unclarity in this case. Are the girls students or not? The said minister said the girls were not students. They probably have been in CA with illegal/expired permits and then took jobs with Walmart instead of cash jobs. Mistake