immigration rule changes mean Henry Burris maybe kicked out of Canada

[taco.vidal]

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/henry-b...ship-1.2312087

Burris, 39, was born in Spiro, Okla., and moved full-time to Calgary 10 years ago. Burris currently lines up behind the centre on the Ottawa RedBlacks, and inked a three-year, $450,000 deal to play in the nation's capital in 2014.
With just two years left on his deal, the aging pivot is now considering his life after football; a life that he hopes to continue living in Canada.

"We're pretty much Canadian now, (I've been) living here since 2005, around the clock, 24/7," Burris told CTV Ottawa.

Despite his lengthy and highly successful career in the CFL, and more than a decade residing in Canada, Burris has been denied citizenship and could be kicked out the country next year when his work permit expires.

The two-time Grey Cup champion has applied for citizenship unsuccessfully several times, and thanks to an overhaul to Canada's immigration policy by the Harper government in January, Burris doesn't meet the standards required to live in the country permanently.

His job as a professional football player is considered part-time work, partly because the CFL season lasts six months, from June to November.

I thought Id post this here rather than the other sports forum as Burris was a Calgarian for a decade and immigration has been at the front of mind with the recent TFW issue.






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[WhiteTiger]

Kinda makes me wonder if there's something else in his past that is preventing his citizenship petitions.

[Harju]

You cannot become a citizen without becoming a Permanent Resident first. The reporter has a very poor understanding of immigration. If he is a PR then he cannot be kicked out unless he committed a serious crime.
I see from the article that they are referring to PR Not citizenship.

[Frequitude]

Seems like the root issue is not revised immigration policies, but the classification of CFL player as part time work.

Playing in the CFL should definitely be considered a full time job.

[Bobblehead]

Citizenship may be re-evaluating their policy:

On Sunday, CIC spokesman Kevin Menard released this statement on Burris's quest for permanent residency.

"Mr. Burris has shown a great commitment to Canada over many years, and his community work through his foundation is an example for Canadian youth and all Canadians," the statement read.

"We will work with the Ottawa Redblacks and Mr. Burris to ensure he can remain in Canada."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...help-1.3021688

[Locke]

If it was any other team I'd think about competitive advantage, but the RedBlacks (uncontested worst name in sports, period) suck enough with him, it almost seems unsporting to handicap them any further.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Seems like the root issue is not revised immigration policies, but the classification of CFL player as part time work.

Playing in the CFL should definitely be considered a full time job.

I don't know about that. Fact of the matter is it's not a viable single source of income for a lot of players.

Good on the Government for recognizing that Burris is a great member of the community though. Citizenship is definitely something that deserves case by case analysis and not blanket policies.

Fact of the matter is Burris should be a Canadian. He just seems so Canadian already.

[darklord700]

He owns the Royal Oak New York pizza place, doesn't he? Yeah, he should be allowed to stay. He has a decade of proven record of being an upstanding citizen of this country.