Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeSeniorsNewsCanadaOntario tribunal restores social assistance to stateless senior facing deportationA stateless senior who holds citizenship in no country and has no way to leave Canada has won back the Ontario income support the province cut after he was ordered outLast updated 44 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.The senior said he came to Canada on a visa for grandparents, using a fraudulent passport. Photo by Adobe StockA stateless man who was ordered deported a year ago is still in Canada and has won back the income support Ontario had cut.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal granted his appeal in a decision issued April 15, finding he qualified for a narrow exception to provincial rules that bar income support for people under deportation orders.His Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments were stopped July 30, 2025, after an ODSP caseworker received a deportation notice saying he no longer had legal status in Canada and was under an enforceable removal order. An internal review upheld the cutoff, and he appealed to the tribunal.The man had received ODSP income support since July 2021. He qualified not on disability grounds but as a member of a prescribed class, people 65 or older who are not eligible for Old Age Security.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe decision does not name him and identifies the three countries in his case only as A (his birth country), B (the country that occupied A) and C (the country he fled to).“The order referenced was anonymized in accordance with the Social Benefit Tribunal (SBT)’s standard practices. In SBT decisions, place names are generally avoided. If required, then the name(s) are replaced with an initial,” the tribunal said in a statement to National Post, adding that hearings are heard in private.According to his testimony, his homeland was occupied and his father was taken away, never to be seen again. He fled the country with his mother but she died before they reached the third country. He had lived in that country on a renewable registration certificate but was never a citizen there. The tribunal heard that people who share the man’s religion and national background have stateless status in Country C. “He testified that when he left Country C to come to Canada he no longer had a valid registration as he was required to renew it through a specific office which solicited bribes he could not afford,” the decision said. He said he came to Canada on a visa for grandparents, using a fraudulent passport he was instructed to throw away on arrival.He has two grandchildren in Canada, sees them at least three times a week and volunteers with four cultural non-profit organizations, the tribunal heard.He applied for refugee status in 2021. The claim and a request to appeal were refused in April 2025. He received a removal order around June 2025 and was told he would be sent to the country that had occupied his homeland. He reports regularly to an immigration officer but has been given no removal date and no travel documents.“The Appellant testified he does not have a passport from any country and did not know if he could renew his registration certificate from Country C,” the decision said. “He stated he will not be able to get a passport from Country C and would likely be imprisoned if returned to Country B.”Provincial regulations under the ODSP Act make people ineligible for income support if they are under a deportation order or an enforceable removal order. The rules carve out exceptions, including when, “for reasons wholly beyond the control of the person, the person is unable to leave the country.”The tribunal found the man met that test. He did not have citizenship in his country of birth or in either of the other two countries in his case, and had no passport or way to obtain one, adjudicator Tuğba Karademir wrote, so he could not have left Canada when his support was cut off.The man also relied on a second exception, for people who have applied for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The tribunal rejected that, finding no such application had been filed. A letter from his immigration lawyer said one was being prepared.The tribunal declined to rule on whether the removal order is enforceable, or on what would happen to the man if he were deported, saying both fall outside its authority. It is an administrative tribunal, not a court.Arguing for the director of the ODSP, who cut off the support, case presenting officer Gary Charvis said the program is governed strictly by statute and that hardship alone cannot create eligibility. The man was represented by Lindsay Holder, a supervising lawyer, and Miha Sanjida, a student-at-law.His representatives pointed the tribunal to two earlier decisions, from 2024 and 2025, in which it reached similar conclusions.For now, the man remains in Canada with no date for his removal, reporting to an immigration officer who has given him no travel documents and, he told the tribunal, nowhere to go.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.