Being home for the holidays is a common desire at this time of year, but for one Ottawa family, they say it’s a life-saving request.
Bassam Nasr, a husband and father, is stuck in the midst of a bureaucratic battle over his permanent residency paperwork and is currently trapped in Lebanon, living in fear following allegations that the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is being violated.
On top of that, his health is another worrying factor.
His family in Ottawa fears they’ll be the ones left grieving if the Canadian government doesn’t act fast and that fear is quickly evolving.
“We’re angry,” says son Jean Claude Nasr.
We’re told Bassam Nasr was already greenlit to be in Canada. While waiting for his permanent residency paperwork to clear, his sons bought him a ticket to visit Lebanon for his birthday. They say the ticket was purchased after calling to make sure he would be allowed to return if he left.
According to them, they checked more than once and got the “go ahead” every time.
Now, they check on him with daily video calls because he’s stuck in a time-sensitive bureaucratic battle that has been going on for more than a year.
Their lawyer describes the paperwork problem as an outdated blemish on his record from 1995 — a criminal case that turned civil and ended with a monetary settlement.
“There was a collision but an unintentional collision. So, there was no intent where Mr. Nasr was going fast … no intent where he was being negligent or careless,” said lawyer Lusi Brace-Plaku.
Ironically, a car crash is what now leaves Nasr barely able to move.
And as he lies in bed trying to recover, he has told his family he can hear blasts in the distance.
Nasr is just 30 minutes from Tripoli, in the northern village of Haql El Aazimeh. Tripoli is where an Israeli airstrike reportedly killed a Hamas leader.
Too close and no comfort for the Nasr family.
“My dad is going to die if we don’t get news, if we don’t get this fixed as soon as possible,” Jean Claude Nasr said.
Documents provided to CTV Morning Live include a letter saying a temporary resident visa just needed a passport to be finalized and another letter, sent two weeks later, rejecting the application.
“Sometimes you lose hope inside you know… I try not to do that. I try to stay positive but that’s how hard it is,” said Bassam Nasr’s wife, Jeanne-d’arc Nasr.
As an artist, Jeanne-d’arc Nasr has poured love and patience into portraits of her sons and her husband. But the time it’s taking to get the love of her life home is testing those virtuous qualities.
“What keeps me going is that I’m a Canadian citizen. I was born and raised here, and I know that it is my right for my husband to live with me here in this country,” she says.
For now, the waiting continues.
And while inside the Nasr home the dynamic between a mother and her adult children appears to be normal, they describe the situation as depressing.
“The worst part for me is being helpless, right? I hired lawyers, paid a ton of money,” said son Nasr Nasr. “All the time asking people for help, you know?
The front porch features welcoming holiday décor. But according to their lawyer, unless they can get the government’s attention, the temporary resident visa could still take up to a year, meaning another Christmas without dad.