Basketball trailblazer denied Canadian everlasting residency, should return to U.S.
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Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, the trailblazing basketball participant who arrange an academy for ladies and coached a number of sports activities at an Islamic faculty in London, Ont., has been denied everlasting residency in Canada and must return to the USA.
“We have been right here for 2 years, my son is Canadian, and we might like to be a part of this nation, however we lastly obtained the message from immigration that we had been denied everlasting residency. It is very sudden,” stated Abdul Qaadir from her London house. “I am puzzled. I’ve single-handedly introduced sports activities to an underserviced neighborhood. It is heartbreaking.”
Abdul-Qaadir and her husband, A.W. Massey, moved to London from Tennessee three years in the past.
She stated she hasn’t been capable of work in Canada since August, when her work allow expired and wasn’t renewed by a Canadian border official.
“We’re nonetheless attempting to determine what we’ll do. We aren’t positive. We’re indignant and we’re drained. We put our coronary heart and soul into this utility. We felt like we checked all of the containers.”
Abdul-Qaadir led a four-year battle in opposition to the Worldwide Basketball Federation, which banned spiritual head coverings on the courtroom. She gained, however sacrificed her basketball profession to take action.
She had been the main highschool level scorer for each girls and boys in Massachusetts, and went on to play for the College of Memphis in Tennessee, the place she was the primary lady to play in a hijab in NCAA Division 1.
Alongside her motivational talking gigs, she teaches on the London Islamic Faculty and has opened a basketball academy in London, however all that’s now up within the air.
After ready a complete yr, my Canadian everlasting residency utility was refused as a result of the <a href=”https://twitter.com/CitImmCanada?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@CitImmCanada</a>’s officer felt that my job duties as Athletic Director on the Mosque/Personal Faculty in London ON, wasn’t sufficient work.
—@Bilqis_AbdulQ
On Thursday, Abdul-Qaadir obtained a letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that stated she would not “meet the necessities for immigration to Canada.”
She utilized for everlasting residency as an athletic director on the London Muslim Mosque, however her duties — together with creating, managing and supervising the varsity’s bodily schooling and athletic applications, in addition to being the pinnacle coach for the basketball, volleyball and cross-country groups — are “inconsistent with the actions” of an athletic director.
“I’m not happy that your acknowledged duties is enough to point that your position includes plan, set up, direct, management and consider the operations of complete health applications at this group. I’m additionally not happy that you just carried out a considerable variety of the principle duties for this [job classification],” IRCC wrote in her letter.
Abdul-Qaadir stated she would not know if she and her husband will struggle the refusal.
For extra tales concerning the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success tales throughout the Black neighborhood — take a look at Being Black in Canada, a CBC undertaking Black Canadians may be happy with. You can read more stories here.
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