STATUS UPDATE: Where the claims from travellers aboard migrant vessels stand now

KEITH FRASER
VANCOUVER DESI

Three of the 76 men aboard the MV Ocean Lady have been issued deportation orders following admissibility hearings before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Another 15 men who were aboard the ship have been accepted as refugees and 15 have had their claims rejected. One claim has been withdrawn.

The remaining 42 refugee claims have not been finalized.

The 76 Sri Lankan Tamil men were aged 17 to 42 when the vessel arrived off the west coast of Vancouver Island on Oct. 17, 2009.

A second ship, carrying 492 Tamils – including 380 men, 63 women and 49 minors – arrived off the B.C. coast on Aug. 13, 2010.

As of Jan. 14, just one man from the MV Sun Sea remains in immigration detention, according to statistics released by the board.

Another 22 passengers from the ship have been issued deportation orders following admissibility hearings and 19 have had admissibility hearings concluded with no removal orders issued.

In 10 cases where no order was issued, the federal minister appealed but subsequently withdrew two of those appeals.

Two appeals were dismissed and three allowed, resulting in deportation orders.

Three hearings are pending.

Another 50 people aboard the Sun Sea have been accepted as refugees and 63 have been rejected. A total of 23 refugee claims have been withdrawn.

The remaining 314 refugee claims for the Sun Sea have not been finalized.

Tags: Ocean Lady, refugee claims, Sun Sea, Tamil migrants