The Sooke man known for his involvement in the Sooke Harbour House’s ownership battle has been granted a four-month extension on the decision to see if he can stay in Canada or not, based on the late discovery that he applied for Canadian citizenship in January 2020.
On Dec. 17, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) ruled in favour of giving Timothy Durkin, the former Sooke Harbour House manager, a brief pause on his admissibility hearing.
Durkin’s virtual hearing, which took place on Dec. 7 and 8, was based on claims that he was inadmissible to Canada due to his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme in the United States.
READ MORE: Decision to deport former owner of Sooke Harbour House on hold
The decision to take a break is dependent on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), confirming whether or not they approve Durkin’s citizenship application.
If the IRCC finds that Durkin is a Canadian citizen, then any decision in the current admissibility hearing would become null, and a separate hearing would have to be requested. Yet, if the IRCC finds that Durkin isn’t a Canadian citizen, the admissibility hearing would pick up from where it left off in early December.
Durkin and the IRB will meet again at a one-time conference to give an update on the Sooke man’s citizenship application in April.
ALSO READ: Couple that owned Sooke Harbour House awarded $4 million after lengthy court case
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