Supreme Court of Canada grants woman chance to appeal immigration decision

The Supreme Court of Canada and Justice and Confederation Building are pictured in Ottawa on Monday, June 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says a woman from Albania should have another chance to argue her immigration case after being denied an appeal due to an expired visa.

In March 2018, Dorinela Pepa came to Canada on a permanent resident visa as a dependent child of her father.

She married shortly before arriving in Canada and, because of the change in her circumstances, her case went through further review.

An admissibility hearing before the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board began in September 2018.

After the hearing, the Immigration Division ordered Pepa removed from Canada.

The Immigration Appeal Division of the board found Pepa had no right to appeal because her visa had already expired when the removal order was issued.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press