Kelowna man feels forced to choose between his country and his wife

Man fights for his wife

Photo: Ana Maria Rodriguez

The Canadian government won’t allow Ana Maria Rodriguez to travel to Canada anymore due to recent changes to immigration rules.

A Kelowna man is fighting with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to try and get his Mexican wife a tourist visa so she can accompany him back to their summer home in British Columbia.

Les Allen, 66, has been married to Ana Maria Rodriguez, for the past 15 years. The pair typically return to B.C. for a few months in the summer before returning to Mexico in the winter.

Recently, his health has begun failing, and he wants to return to Canada for medical treatment.

"Ana has been to Canada six times with me over the years. Due to changes in immigration in Canada, she now requires a tourist visa to travel with me."

Allen says his wife has been declined a tourist visa several times over the past 18 months.

"The reasons they have given her are basically because they don’t think she has reasonable expectations of employment in Mexico, and if she’s given a tourist visa, she might not return," Allen says.

Despite complying with all of IRCC's requests and providing proof of their 15-year marriage, Allen says the couple are not interested in her getting permanent residency status because she has an elderly mother and business obligations in Mexico.

Allen says his wife is known as 'Mexicana Ana', and she owns a fleet of rental golf carts and condos.

Rodriguez says she has done her best to comply with IRCC's requests, but with no luck so far.

"The Canadian government seems to think I have 'limited employment possibilities in my country,' and that, I may not leave Canada," says Rodriguez. "Please help me get back to your beautiful country, to my happy summer home, and to my loving Canadian husband."

Allen says he had replacement knee surgery a couple of years ago and is now suffering from other medical issues.

"I have serious health issues, and Ana is basically my caregiver. I had a brain scan a month or so ago, which determined I have progressive and irreversible issues in my brain," says Allen.

He provided Castanet with a letter from Dr. Rodney Joshua.

"In my professional opinion, Mr. Allen requires a caregiver. I can attest to the fact that he has no family/friends support in Canada. It is my understanding that his wife, Ms. Rodriguez, has been providing such care to Mr Allen, and I was alarmed to note that he travelled back to Canada recently unaccompanied," says Dr. Joshua.

Despite the letter and getting Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr involved, the IRCC has not relented, and Allen says he has grown increasingly frustrated.

"I don’t know how much time I have left, but whatever time I have left, I want to spend with my wife during her off-season at our B.C. home. This government is making me choose between my country and my wife," Allen says.

Despite what he says is an urgent requirement for Canadian healthcare, Allen says he does not want to travel without his wife.

"Am I going to have to sell everything I’ve worked my entire life for because my wife is prohibited from helping me during my time of need?"

"What would happen if I went to B.C. without my wife and my health took a downturn? I would die alone because those bast***s at IRCC would not let her come to me. Think about that."

Castanet has reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, but have not received a response.