Stop Roman’s Removal
Roman has lived in Canada for almost 30 years. He is now facing removal on September 25th. Contact the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and your local MP. Ask them to approve Roman’s Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) so he can stay with his family in Canada.
Roman Slepcsik (pronounced “Slep-chick”) has lived in Canada for almost 30 years. He came here as a refugee from the Czech Republic in 1997 after a group of neo-Nazi skinheads targeted his family. Canada granted him Convention refugee status in 1998 and permanent residence in 1999. Roman spent over two decades as a permanent resident of Canada before being stripped of this status in 2023 due to cessation. He now faces removal on *September 25, 2026. (September 2nd update: The CBSA agreed to let Roman buy his airline ticket for September 25th. We will continue to update this page if the date changes again).
Roman, now 58, lives in Toronto’s East End. His younger brother, two daughters and two grandchildren also live in Toronto. He enjoyed a long career in residential construction and renovation, building homes in Toronto neighbourhoods for the same company for over twenty years. Canada is his home.
We cannot let a member of our community be deported before his applications and court cases are fully heard and decided. We are calling on the federal government to treat Roman justly by postponing his removal and allowing him to stay in Canada, in his home and with his family – at least until he has the chance to have his Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) decided. This will be the first step to getting his permanent residence restored.
Petition
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/stopromansremoval
Contact Minister Diab
Email: lenametlege.diab@parl.gc.ca and ircc.minister-ministre.ircc@
Call: Constituency Office – 902-426-2217, Hill Office – 613-996-3085
Social Media:
Instagram: @lena4halifaxwest
Phone Script
Hello Minister Diab, my name is ________ and I am calling to urge you to approve Roman Slepcsik’s Temporary Resident Permit. Roman has lived in Canada for almost 30 years and is facing deportation due to cessation. His life is here in Canada, including his adult children, grandchildren and brother. His removal would be cruel and unjust, and I hope you will take action so he can remain in Canada.
Email Script
Dear Minister Diab,
I am writing to urge you to approve Roman Slepcsik’s Temporary Resident Permit. Roman has lived in Canada for almost 30 years and is facing deportation due to cessation. His life is here in Canada, including his adult children, grandchildren and brother. His removal would be cruel and unjust, and I hope you will take action so he can remain in Canada.
Sincerely,
You Name
Postal Code
Contact Your Local MP
Find your local MP online here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
If you live in Beaches-East York where Roman resides, please contact our newly elected MP Tanveer Shahnawaz.
Email: tanveer.shahnawaz@parl.gc.ca
Phone: 416-467-0860
Phone Script
Hello, my name is ________ and I am calling to urge you to help Roman Slepcsik. We need Minister Diab to approve his Temporary Resident Permit. Roman has lived in Canada for almost 30 years and is facing deportation due to cessation. His life is here in Canada, including his adult children and grandchildren. His removal would be cruel and unjust, and I hope you will take action so he can remain in Canada.
Email Script
Dear MP [name],
I am writing to urge you to help Roman Slepcsik stay in Canada. We need Minister Diab to approve his Temporary Resident Permit. Roman has lived in Canada for almost 30 years and resides here in Beaches-East York. He is facing deportation due to cessation. His life is here in Canada, including his adult children, grandchildren and brother. His removal would be cruel and unjust, and I hope you will take action so he can remain in Canada.
Sincerely,
You Name
Postal Code
More Information
Roman Slepcsik spent over two decades as a permanent resident of Canada before being stripped of this status in 2023. He now faces removal to the Czech Republic on *September 25, 2026. (September 2nd update: The CBSA agreed to let Roman buy his airline ticket for September 25th. We will continue to update this page if the date changes again).
Roman came to Canada in 1997 after a group of neo-Nazi skinheads targeted his family, with his two young daughters present, as they rode on public transit. Canada granted him Convention refugee status in 1998 and permanent residence in 1999.
In Canada, Roman enjoyed a long career in residential construction and renovation, working for the same company for over twenty years until his back gave out. He provided for his daughters, supporting their extra-curricular activities and contributing to their college tuition.
A refugee stands to lose protected status in a process called “cessation”, for traveling to their country of nationality, renewing a passport, or traveling on the passport – acts considered “voluntarily re-availing oneself of the protection of their country of nationality”.
A 2012 law passed by the then Conservative government automatically stripped permanent residence from former refugees subject to cessation of their status, including long-settled residents with strong family, social and economic ties to Canada.
Roman returned to the Czech Republic each time for various urgent reasons – most often to help loved ones in their recovery from operations and to attend the funerals of close family.
Always a family man who put his loved ones first, Roman now faces forced separation from his family in Canada, the only close family he has left in this world, as both his parents and older brother in the Czech Republic have all died.
Roman is awaiting hearing on his appeal on constitutional grounds, alleging that the automatic loss of permanent residence upon cessation, violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
With the Canada Border Services Agency actively pursuing his removal, giving him up to September 25th to leave, Canada sidesteps a UNHCR recommendation for governments to provide alternative status to long-settled residents subject to cessation. For many in Roman’s position, the only option is to join a pool of over 50,000 applicants for permanent residence on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds – an application that currently has a 10+ year processing time, and does not halt removal.
Roman hopes Canada will grant him a temporary resident permit to allow him to stay in his home and with his family while he awaits decision in his permanent residence application and court appeal.
Roman is being supported by Don Valley Community Legal Services, Downtown Legal Services, and the Legal Clinic at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University.
Media
CTV – Toronto carpenter faces deportation after almost 30 years in Canada
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