Immigration Application and Toronto Star

immigration officials: This is a great tribute to my wife." After waiting almost two years for his immigration application to be processed, Mailman, 37, was told by department officials in October he'd have to leave Canada because his wife — his sponsor — was dead, according to Hamilton Spectator. Grieving dad in immigration tug-of-war in wake of wife death When the Toronto Star began making inquiries about the case last week, Mailman received further conflicting information from immigration officials, leaving him confused about his status in Canada and trying to figure out where he stood. The grieving father, who recently lost his wife to cancer, had been packing to return to his native New Zealand when he received a call Friday from Immigration Minister John McCallum, who personally intervened in the case and told him he would be granted permanent residency. "I am just so happy," Mailman said. "You can't disagree that Canada is the best country in the world. But two phone calls from the immigration department Friday, the first from an official who told him McCallum had used his discretionary powers to intervene, and the second from McCallum himself, left him in no doubt that a celebration was in order. "I got a warm welcome to Canada by the minister, who expressed his condolences and mentioned that it an extremely extenuating circumstance that prompted his decision," said an ecstatic Mailman. "I was still in disbelief after the first call. In an email to the Toronto Star, immigration department spokesperson Nancy Caron confirmed that McCallum approved Mailman application to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. But this is now the real deal with the minister call." Scott Mailman with his late wife, Lisa, and daughter Sydney. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.