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Family with rare illness appeals to stay in B.C.
WebPosted Wed Feb 7 15:05:57 2001

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C.-- A South African family is appealing to the Immigration Department to let them stay in Canada for heath reasons.

The search for a cool, cloudy climate brought John and Maggie Vivier to Prince Rupert, B.C. two years ago.

Three members of the family have a disorder called porphyria which makes sunlight potentially fatal. If exposed for too long they can blister badly and black out.

Maggie Vivier says since moving there the family can live a normal life for the first time. In South Africa, she said, her 12-year-old daughter Heloise and 14-year-old son Dominic had to stay indoors during the day and couldn't go to school.

The family came to the country on visitors' visas in 1999, but were denied residency for not following proper procedures.

This week they met immigration officials again to argue that they should be allowed to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, a category often used in cases of family separation or violence.

If they are allowed to stay John and Maggie hope to return to their fields of computer programming and medical research.

No word when they'll find out their fate.