Yahya Samatar, the Somali man who swam across the Red River from North Dakota to Manitoba, is allowed to stay in Canada as a “protected person” and cannot be deported, ruled an adjudicator today.
Immediately after the hearing Wednesday morning at the Victory Building in Winnipeg, Samatar broke into a smile, telling CBC News he can now focus on the future.
“I’m really happy that the constitution of the Canada give me a protections,” he said in an excited, broken English. “Really very happy that I am a protected person as from today. Yeah, I’m really very, very, very happy.”
Samatar’s lawyer, Bashir Khan, said Wednesday’s ruling means his client should receive his permanent residence status in Canada within the next 12-14 months. When that happens, his wife and children will also get the same status.
There is a further three-year wait to get Canadian citizenship after that.