A climate activist from the age of 12, Zain Haq came to Canada in 2019 on a study permit.
Climate justice activist Zain Haq is days away from deportation despite what he calls widespread community support and the intervention of Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
“My deportation is scheduled again, for Jan. 25,” said Haq.
Haq was originally scheduled for deportation last April 22, but was granted a six-month temporary residency permit so he could apply for permanent residence through spousal sponsorship, a process that can take an indeterminate amount of time.
Haq said he followed appropriate steps and applied for an extension to his temporary residency permit in October 2024.
But on Dec. 6, CBSA informed him that his temporary residency permit had run out, and the deportation order would be reinstated. He was ordered to purchase a plane ticket to Pakistan.
Haq said if he is deported, it will be because of a bureaucratic error: His extension application wasn’t processed because the federal Immigration Department lost it.
Haq has a Fed Ex receipt showing the application was sent to the correct address and a receipt for the application fee payment.
Now he is appealing to Miller to intervene again.
He calls the bureaucratic error “Kafkaesque” and the CBSA’s use of a technicality to reinstate his deportation “surreal.”
A climate activist from the age of 12, Haq came to Canada in 2019 on a study permit. Once in Canada he quickly became a leader in the climate movement, participating in actions with Extinction Rebellion, and Save Old Growth, which he co-founded.
In 2021, Haq led a successful campaign to get Simon Fraser University to divest from fossil fuels.
That year Haq was one of 17 protesters arrested after a protest on the Burrard Bridge blocked routes to St. Paul’s Hospital.
On Feb. 15, 2022, he was sentenced to two weeks in jail for criminal contempt of court after violating an injunction involving the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
He was arrested again on Oct. 25, 2021, after he and other protesters blocked Grant McConachie Way preventing access to Vancouver International Airport. Eventually police asked them to disperse.
In 2022, CBSA revoked his student visa, saying he was not meeting the academic requirements. At a Federal Court hearing Haq’s application to delay the deportation was dismissed, but shortly before he was slated to leave Canada, Canada Border Services Agency informed him that his deportation had been cancelled.
“It is our understanding that minister Miller intervened,” said Haq.
Haq said he and his wife Sophie have been married for two years, and working their way through the spousal sponsorship process. They’ve bought a home together in Mt. Pleasant, celebrated two Christmases with his new Canadian family, and were looking forward to more.
Haq said he and his wife Sophie are devastated.
“My main priority right now is preserving my relationship with Sophie in Canada, and I hope to return SFU to finish my degree in history,” said Haq.
If he gets sent back to Pakistan, the spousal sponsorship application automatically gets cancelled and can take up to three years to process, said Haq.
“Canada is my home,” said Haq.
Haq poses no threat to public safety, said his lawyer Randall Cohn in a statement in response to the latest deportation threat.
“Zain Haq is not a violent criminal, and his mischievous convictions do not meet the legal threshold for serious criminality.”
“This is a moment for Canada to show the world what fairness and democracy truly mean,” federal Green Leader Elizabeth May said. “Minister Miller has shown leadership and integrity before, and I am confident he can do so again to prevent an unjust outcome. This is not just about Zain — it’s about ensuring that Canada upholds its values of democracy and justice.”