Jamie Sarkonak: The sex criminal in Canada illegally who got a work permit

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Now, he's allowed to workLast updated 5 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNGIn June, a Colombian man was sentenced in Surrey, B.C., for sexual interference against a 12-year-old. The victim was the daughter of the man’s landlady, who rented out rooms in her house. The man, aged 31 at the time, was shovelling snow with the girl on a January 2024 afternoon; when the pair entered a shed on the property to retrieve some salt, he closed the door behind them and kissed her on the lips. She screamed and fled back to the house and to the safety of another adult.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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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.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate 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.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.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 AccountFor all this, the man was sentenced to one year of house arrest followed by one year of curfew.Recommended VideosThe National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.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 Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIt was a crime that should have been impossible to commit because the man wasn’t supposed to be in Canada in the first place. He was an illegal migrant who had previously been deported in the summer of 2022 after failing to substantiate an asylum claim. He’d snuck back in a few months later, and was an illegal resident when he preyed upon his landlady’s child.The man admitted what he did during his psychological assessment, saying that “in our culture, it is normal when you greet someone you can kiss lightly on the cheek. I accidentally brushed my mouth against her cheek and her mouth.” (When he testified at trial, he changed his story, claiming that there was no kiss at all.)The act of sexual interference should have made the man’s life more difficult, but instead, it did the opposite. In the weeks that followed the incident, he made a second asylum claim. This restored to him the rights of an asylum seeker, including access to an expansive, mostly subsidized health care plan paid for by the Canadian taxpayer.As a previously deported person now on the radar of the law, the man became the subject of a removal order — but it couldn’t be acted upon. One reason for this was that he had active criminal matters before the courts, and had to remain in Canada until they were finished. Additionally, on the immigration front, his second asylum claim was being processed. He was also working to take the teeth out of the removal order against him with a pre-removal risk assessment that, if it went in his favour, would make deportation impossible even if his asylum claim was rejected. In June, he was still awaiting answers from immigration authorities on his files.His personal circumstances are now more favourable to remaining in Canada: according to the B.C. Provincial Court, he married a protected person with permanent residency, with whom he shared a two-year-old child. The three were living together in the landlady’s home when the man committed his act of sexual interference. The wife sponsored his refugee application, criminal infidelity aside, and he’ll be able to use the wife and child to make a plea to stay in the country on humanitarian and compassionate grounds if his current asylum application fails.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Finally, despite facing sex crime charges, the federal government granted the man a work permit in December 2025. He got a job in construction. Now on house arrest, he’s able to continue his job as Justice Judge Aamna Afsar gave him permission to work one day per week outside of the home. (The man is also allowed to leave his house between noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday.)So, this is what a habitual rulebreaker and illegal resident gets for sexually interfering on a child who lived under the same roof as his own toddler: the ability to work, the privilege of heavily discounted health care and the confidence that he’ll remain here for some years yet as he lives out his sentence and explores every immigration rabbit hole available to him. This is routine in Canada, and until this is resolved, we can expect more of the world’s worst to find their way here — by legal means and not.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis 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.