In every way but one, Krishnan Balakrishnan is the poster child for the kind of immigrant Canada wants.

He is an aviation executive - speaks perfect English, is wealthy, highly educated in a sought-after field and, best of all, he had a job waiting for him when he stepped off the plane from Mumbai.

But Mr. Balakrishnan also has an 11-year-old daughter with autism.

On the one hand, he is a worker with much to offer Canada and the Canadian economy. On the other, he is a father whose family could be a burden on Canada's social system.

Balancing those two realities has turned what could be a picture-perfect immigration application into a painful, drawn-out process that has destroyed a friendship, strained a family and destabilized a Canadian business.

Here is John Chipman's documentary, The Accountant's Dilemma.