Pakistan-born Zain Haq, a 24-year-old student and climate activist from Canada, will be deported to Pakistan after a failed attempt to stop the deportation order.
Haq, co-founder of the environmental group Save Old Growth, was ordered deported last year by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for alleged violations of his study permit, related to academic progress.
The order was issued following his arrest during the Save Old Growth and Extinction Rebellion protests in 2021 and 2022.
Haq pleaded guilty to five counts of mischief related to the protests, but the courts did not consider him a violent offender.
The deportation order was initially canceled when Haq’s wife, Sophia Papp, applied to sponsor him as a permanent resident on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
However, authorities denied the spousal sponsorship application and reportedly misplaced a separate application Haq had submitted for temporary residency in October.
Haq’s lawyer argued that the process was mishandled and due process was not followed.
Haq, who came to Canada in 2019 to study at Simon Fraser University, was working toward a history major.
His academic progress came under scrutiny when he shifted his focus to climate activism, and the CBSA determined that he had violated his study permit by not having made sufficient progress.
Although Haq was on academic probation at one point, SFU had supported his continued studies.
The rejection of Papp’s sponsorship application leaves Haq facing deportation with no chance of clemency.
Photo: @regeneración.ca on Instagram
Haq and his supporters have argued that the deportation order may be politically motivated due to his activism.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) declined to comment on the case, citing privacy regulations.
Haq has received support from climate activists, including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who has expressed concerns about deportation amid ongoing climate crises in North America.
