Anya Sass, a Calgarian living in Syria, has received the news she was so desperately waiting for: the Canadian government has granted her husband a permanent residency visa, which means she can now bring him home to Canada to start a new life together.
“I got the email in the middle of the street,” Sass told Global News Thursday. “I had to check the email address to make sure it was real. I couldn’t breathe and I just burst out crying and crying.”
Sass, who was born and raised in Calgary, was travelling through the Middle East three years ago when she met engineering student Habib Alibrahim and fell in love. They were married a year later, in 2012.
Sass had initially enjoyed her life in Syria and becoming immersed in a new culture, but then came the escalation of the civil war and the constant shelling and car bombings. Their lives were in danger, but Sass refused to return to Canada without Alibrahim.
“We’ve been living in a neighbourhood where we’ve had shells fall next to our house; shells fall next to us on the street; car bombs go off on our street; my bus has been shot at. A lot of crazy stuff,” said Sass.
After her husband’s application for a temporary visa was rejected, Sass applied for permanent resident status through a spousal sponsorship application in March.
The couple was under the impression the Canadian government was fast-tracking Syrian applicants, but they were informed it would likely take two years. Sass pleaded her case with immigration officials in Ottawa with no apparent success.
In July, she launched a social media campaign, urging Canadians to contact the federal government and Calgary MP Michelle Rempel in support of the couple’s cause.
And help they did. In a Facebook post this summer, Sass thanked all those who responded to her plea.
I am feeling very touched today from all of you who so happily gave us support, wrote to your MPs, and even shared our status! I am overwhelmed guys, and I want to thank all of you so much.
Weeks later there was still no response from Ottawa and Sass grew increasingly frustrated.
That frustration turned to joy this week when she received an email from Citizenship and Immigration Canada informing her the spousal sponsorship application had been processed and approved.
On Thursday, Sass said she believes the social media plea helped.
“A lot of people have come forward since we got the visa, saying friends of friends wrote their MP. It’s really amazing and awesome. Obviously we have to pay it forward when we get back.”
Sass said they are hoping to return to Canada in time for Christmas.
“I’m looking forward to 24 hour electricity and water and going to the grocery store and finding anything I want!”
But there is also some sadness about leaving Syria.
“We have a lot of really, really amazing friends here and I know a lot of amazing people,” said Sass. “For sure when you go though a war with somebody, you have a very close bond with them. It’s definitely going to be really, really sad to leave them.”
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