“National ballet’s members are not illegal immigrants in Canada,” says Algerian consul in Montreal

Algerian general consul in Canada’s Montreal said the run away members of the national ballet are not illegal immigrants but they just made a delay to return home.

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  “The national ballet’s members are not illegal immigrants. They live legally in Canada as their visas are valid for six months,” Amara Abdelghani told Echorouk.

  “I will help them until they come back to Algeria as the case of their colleague who went back, few days ago,” he added.

  Speaking on behalf of the State Secretary in charge of the Algerian community abroad, the consul said the Secretary confirmed that none of those members had been dismissed. 
  

  “Their passports are at the Algerian embassy in Ottawa.”
  

  Echorouk has learnt that the 8 members are in a difficult psychological state because of the media noise about them. They are panicked and embarrassed. They trusted a lawyer who advised them to not make any statement until they terminate political asylum procedures.
  

  An expert in immigration and political asylum told Echorouk it is difficult to grant political asylum to those people as they work in a national institution and they earn a monthly salary. Of them, a dancer has been working for the group for 29 years and did not ask for asylum during Algeria’s crisis. 
  

  According to the same source, the members may be detained in refugees’ centre by immigration department if they submit their request without passport or identity card.
  

  A noise accompanied the delay of 8 members of the national ballet in returning to Algeria after they had participated in the Arab World Festival in Montreal on the revolution celebration.