A Waterloo woman is not being allowed to return to Canada – despite living here for more than 60 years.
Margaret Petersen was born in the U.K. but her family moved to Canada when she was seven-years-old.
She and her sister Kathy Stilwell were returning from a family vacation in London, England when a security officer stopped them at the airport before they could board their plane.
Petersen was carrying her British passport and original immigration documentation.
“They said they had never seen anything like it before,” says Stilwell. “It wasn’t valid and we couldn’t go.”
The airline allegedly told Petersen that she didn’t have the right documentation to travel back to Canada even though she’s now a permanent resident.
“She has a SIN card, a driver’s license, a health card… everything you need,” says Stilwell.
But Chris Daw, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant, says she’s missing one important piece of identification.
“She does not have a valid permanent resident card which is the requirement she’s supposed to have to re-enter Canada as a permanent resident.”
The cards were introduced in 2002 but it wasn’t until two years ago that it became mandatory for permanent residents to carry the card while travelling.
Petersen and her sister have been stranded in London for a week, staying at a hotel while they wait for their travel documentation from the Canadian High Commission.
“It’s costing me a fortune that I don’t have,” says Petersen. “All I want to do it go home. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“We really need her home,” says her daughter Kathy Petersen. “My dad has Parkinson’s and she’s his caregiver.”
Their family is frustrated with the delay in her return.
“I just want my mom to come home.”
Petersen says she’s been in contact with Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht who has confirmed that her travel document has been approved.
The sisters hope that they’ll be able to return home before the Canada Day long weekend.
