I have just heard that the family of Lucien Elvis Sassango Kokengue (see posting of October 4 2018) has been invited for their interview on September 3. Lucien is the brother of Charlene & Chancella; he and his family are originally from the Central African Republic and are currently living in the Krisan Refugee Family in Ghana. It looks quite likely that Lucien and his family could be with us before Christmas.  We currently do not have funds for this sponsorship.

We are looking for temporary accommodation for Sajjad, Farzana, Angel and Amelia (see posting below).  It could be a basement apartment or two bedrooms in a house or condo, we are open to anything at this stage. If you can't help, please ask your friends and neighbours if they have room for the family or if they have any leads on a short-term rental, preferably in the city so that they can receive the necessary resettlement services. This is a delightful family who are very grateful for the Church’s support and most appreciative for whatever assistance we can provide.

I have just received notification that Sajjad, Farzana, Angel and Amelia (sponsored family from Pakistan, living in Thailand) will arrive in Toronto on August 8 at 9:45 am on flight KE73 from Seoul (having left Bangkok on the evening of August 7).

This is very short notice and I will be in touch shortly about our many needs for welcoming and resettling this family.

I heard from Sajjad this morning (father of the Pakistani family taking refuge in Thailand). He writes that he got a call from the International Office of Migration (IOM )yesterday  and they have got all the necessary passports and travel documents ready, and they will send these to the Canadian Embassy for issue of their visas for travel to Canada. They will advise shortly about travel dates but Sajjad is hopeful that they will travel in August.  We will need to pay the family's "overstay fines" of about $2,000 before they will be permitted to leave. Sajjad will come with his wife and two children aged 2 and 7.

We will need to provide accommodation for the family. Although it is too early to rent a place (because arrival dates can change), please give some thought as to where they might stay on arrival.