A Quebec family that has called Canada home for the past eight years boarded a flight to India Monday night after their refugee claim was denied, forcing them to leave the country. The Kumar family came to Canada in April 2018 and claimed asylum. Harish Kumar said he left India because he believed his life was in danger. “I’m very sad,” Harish told CTV News on Monday. READ MORE: On Aug. 4, the family learned their asylum claim had been denied, and they would have to leave Canada on Sept. 7. Harish said his wife was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) last week. Data from the CBSA showed that in the first six months of 2026, just over half of all removals across Canada took place in Quebec. For Harish’s two sons, the news came as a shock. “I grew up here,” said 14-year-old Japesh Kumar, who was six when he arrived in Canada. “I have friends here ... in India, I have nothing.” For his younger brother, 12-year-old Gouresh Kumar, returning to India would mean starting over. “I don’t really know (much) about India,” he said. The family applied to remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds, but that application was refused. They have since asked for a judicial review. Mostafa Henaway, with the Immigrant Workers Centre, has been helping the family. He said he does not understand why the family is being forced to leave. Henaway added that Harish, a truck driver, was considered an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two boys have also spent most of their lives in Quebec. “I don’t think it sends a very strong signal about our values being very different than our neighbours down south in this current climate,” said Henaway. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada referred CTV News to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). In a statement issued after this article was published, the CBSA said the decision to deport someone “is not taken lightly.” “There are multiple steps built into the process to ensure procedural fairness and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) only actions a removal order once all legal avenues of recourse that can stay a removal have been exhausted,” the agency said in an email. “Individuals who are issued a removal order may seek redress through various processes which may include appeals through the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, applications for judicial review to Federal Court, and applications to receive a pre-removal risk assessment from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.” The CBSA added that the agency has a legal obligation to remove people with an enforceable removal order as soon as possible under section 48 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
