Deported After 30 Years in Canada: The Lesson from Roman Slepcsik and the Situations in Which You Should NOT Leave the Country

Leaving Canada—even if you are a permanent resident or have obtained citizenship—could result in deportation, even years after you received your status.

Why was Roman Slepcsik, a Czech citizen, deported in 2026 after 30 years as a permanent resident in Canada? 

Slepcsik was granted residency after going through the refugee process, but he repeatedly used his original passport to travel to the country he had fled three decades earlier. As a result, the Canadian government revoked his status under the legal concept of “re-availment” (on the grounds that he had once again accepted the protection of his home country).

This case highlights a very common problem: being swayed by unsubstantiated advice or social media comments that falsely claim that "it's no big deal" to leave the country. 

As an immigration attorney, my job is not to alarm people, but to warn them based on the law.

But refugees aren't the only ones at risk: temporary workers, international students, residents, and even citizens can lose their right to remain in or re-enter Canada due to a poorly planned departure.

In this blog, I'll analyze the highest-risk scenarios, grouped by category, and what you should do to protect your status. I invite you to read them and reflect on your own situation.

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Situations in which you should NOT leave Canada

Next, evaluate the following categories by status and note which one fits your profile:

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1. Asylum seekers and protected persons

Let's look at this category step by step, since it has the most restrictions.

• Stage 1: From the Application to the Hearing

The asylum seeker submits the application along with all the required documents and awaits the hearing. In many cases, the applicant must surrender their passport of origin. 

The waiting period until the hearing can last several years, and during that entire time, the person must remain in the country.

Even before the hearing, you may have an initial interview during which you will receive your work permit, if applicable, but you still cannot travel outside of Canada.

• Step 2: Waiting for the passport of origin

Many applicants make the mistake of renewing or applying for a new passport at their embassy because of the practical need to identify themselves, carry out day-to-day tasks, open bank accounts, or renew their driver's license.

This could be a reason for your asylum application to be denied, since it is interpreted as an acceptance of protection from the country you are fleeing. 

Remember that going to the embassy is like visiting your home country.

• Step 3: Approved Shelter and Travel Document

Once the hearing process is complete and asylum is granted, the applicant must apply for the Travel Document for Protected Persons (colloquially known as the “blue document”).

While you wait for the document to arrive, you must remain in Canada. You cannot leave the country freely. 

Once you have obtained it, you can use it to travel anywhere in the world, except to the country you fled from; if you do, you run the risk of being deported, even if several years have passed, as in the case of Slepcsik.

2. Temporary Resident Visa (countries that require a visa)

People from countries that require a visa stamped in their passport (such as Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and others) sometimes confuse the purpose of the visa with that of their permits.

• Initially, the visa is valid for the same period as the study or work permit.
• When the permit is extended, the visa is not automatically updated and has its own expiration date.
• The permit reads: "THIS DOES NOT AUTHORIZE RE-ENTRY"/"CECI N'AUTORISE PAS LA RÉENTRÉE." It is not a travel document!

A visa is the sticker in your passport that allows you to travel. Residence permits are documents that authorize the activities you will engage in while in the country, but not your travel to the country itself. 

The thing is, sometimes the validity or expiration dates of both documents coincide , which leads to the assumption that, even if the visa has expired, at least the permit is still valid for entering the country. 

At the airport in your country, officials will see that your visa has expired, and the agent will not let you through, even if your work and study permits are still valid.

Recommendation: Before traveling, make sure the visa in your passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay abroad, and return to Canada at least one week before it expires.

3. Individuals with Maintained Status 

This section applies to those who have requested an extension of their permit before their previous one expires but have not yet received a response.

A common scenario is that, upon leaving the country, the benefits of maintaining that status are lost. Consequently, when the person attempts to re-enter, they cannot resume their work or academic activities until their new permit is approved and they receive it.

The long-term risk is that if you re-enter the country and continue working without the approved permit, you will be in the country illegally, which means your future applications for permanent residence will be denied.

Exception: This does not apply to individuals who have applied for a postgraduate work permit, provided they applied to that program with a valid study permit.

4. Sponsorship for Permanent Residency (Inland)

There are two ways to apply for spousal sponsorship: Inland (from within) and Outland (from outside). The Inland sponsorship allows the individual to apply for an open work permit, since they are inside Canada, and the approval process is much slower. 

The risk arises when people go in and out very often and then use an app.

In this scenario, once you arrive at the port of entry, the officer will begin asking questions and may assume that you applied within Canada to obtain the open permit. Consequently, the officer may tell you to withdraw your application Inland and apply from outside Canada. 

There are exceptions, and we had a similar case at our company that we were able to resolve by presenting evidence.

Case: The individual had to travel because her daughter was sick, and she was receiving treatment through the healthcare system in her home country. We asked her to provide all supporting documentation—including medical records, prescriptions, and medical reports—to build a strong case. 

The person was able to explain the reason for their trip at the airport.

5. Approved Permanent Residency and Citizenship

When a person becomes a permanent resident, their previous study or work permits are no longer valid. To travel outside the country and re-enter, they must ensure they have their Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) on hand. The PR Card serves as their document for re-entry into Canada, along with a valid passport from their country of origin.

Note: Before leaving Canada, you should already have received your PR Card. If you must leave on an emergency basis without it, consult your lawyer to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) from abroad; otherwise, you will not be able to board a return flight.

The Case of New Citizens: When you take the oath of citizenship, you become a citizen, and your previous residency documents are automatically canceled. At that point, you cannot travel using your PR Card or your old visas. You must wait for your Canadian passport to be issued before leaving the country; otherwise, you will face serious difficulties with airlines and immigration officials when trying to return.

Do you need to leave Canada and are worried about losing your status? At Immiland Canada, we can advise you.

We are CICC-regulated consultants and Canadian attorneys committed to helping immigrants navigate their processes legally and safely.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, click the link: https://www.immilandcanada.com/migracion/consultas 

I hope this information is helpful and that you can leave and return to Canada without losing your status.

See you in the next blog post, where we’ll continue to help you build your Canadian dream with professionalism and empathy!

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With love,

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Immiland Canada