Haitians, Zimbabweans ask for extension on residency bids
Members of Montreal's Haitian and Zimbabwean communities are trying to buy time in a last-ditch effort to stay in Canada.
They protested in Montreal on Sunday against a decision made by the federal government to lift a moratorium on suspending deportations to Haiti and Zimbabwe.
Time runs out for them on June 1, the deadline to get in the required paperwork to apply for permanent resident status.
Because of political instability in both countries, and then the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, deportations to those countries had been suspended for more than a decade.
When Ottawa announced in December its decision to lift the moratorium, it said the political situation and living conditions had improved enough to send people back home.
Nearly 3,500 people living in Canada will be affected by the lifting of the moratorium.
Members of Montreal's Haitian community said they would like three more months to complete the paperwork required to apply for permanent resident status.
