Indian gets second chance to migrate to Canada

Toronto, Aug 17
A court in Canada has granted a second chance to an Indian man to migrate to that country following "a failed email communication" on the part of Immigration Canada, a media report said.

Dharmendrakumar Chandrakantbhai Patel's immigration application was rejected in 2014 on the grounds that he "had not supplied any of the documents allegedly requested on August 20, 2013", Toronto Star reported on Monday.

Canada's federal court found there had been "a breach of procedural fairness" in turning down Patel's application because he hadn't responded to an email he never received.

"Email could be efficient and fast in sending information, but there's the black hole of email where it just disappeared. Over-reliance on technology can be dangerous," the court observed as it awarded Patel $3,000 and laid out the conditions whereby "one party should be held accountable for the lost email".

Patel had applied for immigration to Canada in June 2010 as a computer and information systems manager.

In February 2014, immigration officials refused his application on the grounds that he had not supplied any of the documents allegedly requested.

A programme assistant at the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi, claimed to have sent the emailed request for updated application forms and police clearances. However, Patel said neither he nor his lawyer ever received the email.

The Canadian immigration department was unable to produce a copy of the email when asked by the court.