Canada denies immigration to family with autistic son

As reported by The Spec, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration says the family of Sungsoo Kim have been denied visas because of the major burden his 12-year-old autistic son would cause, not on the health system, but on social services.

In January, Canadian officials told Kim he did not meet all the immigration requirements because his son Taehoon’s autism could pose an excessive demand on social and health services. However, officials recently clarified that the concern was solely over social services costs.

Canada’s publicly funded social services operate under the “excessive demand” limit because they are vital in the management of various health conditions, says Tracie LeBlanc, CIC spokesperson.

With the Kim family’s case, the CIC says a full-time academic assistant for Taehoon at school would cost the state $35,000 per year. Anything over $6,141 a year is considered an excessive demand, explained LeBlanc.

Executive-director Margaret Spoelstra at Autism Ontario said other than an academic assistant, social service expenses would be taken on privately unless the Kims qualified for other programmes.