This article was originally published by the National Post on February 27, 2026.
Daniel Kingwell, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, successfully represented Irfan Ahmad before the Federal Court after the Refugee Protection Division revoked his client’s refugee status for returning to Pakistan multiple times. Justice Avvy Yao-Yao Go ruled in favour of Ahmad, finding that the RPD had failed “to engage with a critical piece of evidence” and found inconsistencies “where none existed.”
“We are very pleased with the judge’s ruling. The court recognized that Mr. Ahmad had provided a number of reasons for returning to Pakistan that were not adequately assessed by the Board – in particular to attend to essential family duties including his marriage, the birth of his child, and the illnesses and deaths of his parents,” Kingwell wrote, noting that the ruling was “consistent with a number of other decisions where the court has taken issue with an overly aggressive approach to refugee cessation.”
Kingwell explained that Ahmadi mosques were the “primary targets” of religious extremists in Pakistan and that Ahmad’s conduct whilst in the country, particularly avoiding mosques, demonstrated precautions that “were consistent with his ongoing need for refugee protection.”
The article also featured Kingwell’s concerns about Bill C-12, which “would prevent a person at risk from claiming refugee status more than one year after they arrive,” potentially leaving victims of domestic abuse, members of the LGBT community or war refugees in jeopardy because they “simply didn’t learn about the process until it was too late.”
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