On the surface, hers is the kind of application government officials look for: Young, educated, skilled and upwardly mobile, fluent in English, adapting well and anxious to be part of the Canadian community. And for a while it seemed Fatemah Kamkar would, indeed, be welcome here as a Permanent Resident from Iran. But in the years it took between her application and the government's decision she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And suddenly nothing else matters to Ottawa: She is not welcome.

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Part Two of The Current

Canadian citizenship denied due to breast cancer

If the government of Canada actively sought out a model immigrant, it might be hard to find a better one than Fatemeh Kamkar. She is a skilled worker from Iran with only a year to go before earning her doctorate in cellular and molecular medicine. Fatemah Kamkar applied for permanent residency in Canada in 2005 when she was a freshmen at the University of Ottawa. A new life in Canada seemed inevitable until she received a letter from the Government of Canada.

Fatemeh Kamkar read her letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada sent in April.

Canada does not accept people who could be a drain on the health system and the fact that she applied for residency four years before she was diagnosed with cancer doesn't seem to carry any weight with the government. Fatemeh Kamkar and her immigration lawyer, Rezaur Rahman were both in Ottawa.

Gregory Thomas is supportive of how the government makes such decisions. He is the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He was in Toronto.

We requested an interview with Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, or with officials in his department. The response to that request was to refer us to the government website.

Related Links:

• Star immigrant snarled in red tape By: Hugh Adami - Ottawa Citizen
• Ottawa woman faces deportation after cancer diagnosis - CBC News
• Federal red tape has snarled the hopes of Iranian student By: Hugh Adami - The Ottawa Citizen

Music Bridge

Artist: Junior Boys
Cd: Begone Dull Care
Cut: # 4, Dull to Pause
Label: Domino
Spine: DNO 215

Other segments from today's show:

• Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney
• Muslim leaders speak out against honour killings