Macleans is reporting that Rumana Monzur, the UBC international student that was brutally assaulted and blinded when she was visiting her home country of Bangladesh, has been issued a Temporary Resident Permit to return to Canada. The article states:
The University of British Columbia student who was blinded by her husband during an attack in Bangladesh will return to Canada on Tuesday. Rumana Monzur has been granted a temporary resident permit by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Because she will not be studying again right away, a student permit was inappropriate, reports Postmedia News.
Women around the world have rallied around the master of political science student as a symbol of how women sometimes struggle to be allowed to study. UBC officials say they have raised more than $35,000 toward Monzur’s expenses while she lives with her father on campus and recovers from the June 5 attack. She will receive care from the school’s department of ophthalmology. It’s unclear whether her five-year-old child will come to Canada. The husband is in a Dhaka jail awaiting trial.
The issuance of the Temporary Resident Permit demonstrates the use of human discretion in the implementation of Canada’s immigration laws to obtain a positive outcome.
As a result of her attack, Ms. Manura is no longer able to study in Canada. Her study permit, and her corresponding temporary resident status, should have been nullified, and a rigid approach to Canadian immigration law would have seen her denied entry back into Canada.
The issuance of the Temporary Resident Permit, however, was a highly discretionary saving grace that allowed Ms. Manura to return to the University of British Columbia to seek medical treatment. Catherine Dauvergne, the senior adviser to UBC President Stephen Toope, has announced that $35,000 has been raised in support of Ms. Manura.
So kudos to Jason Kenney for issuing the Temporary Resident Permit which allowed Ms. Manura to return to a community which has embraced her, and kudos to my Alma Mater, the University of British Columbia, for its supporting her.