Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 2, February 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

Deportation forces local couple to return to Canada

Chris McDowall, a longtime employee of Muir Public Relations in Fremont, and his wife, Wendy, recently moved back to Canada, where they are both from but they didn't move by their choice.The couple moved back to Toronto after more than four years in Seattle because they feared the renewal for Wendy's work permit would be denied.

Chris McDowall said he and his wife came to Seattle in 1998 because they both wanted to live on the West Coast. When Wendy was recruited to be a fundraiser for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, they jumped at the chance to relocate.

McDowall, 46, said he and his wife, 41, were happy here and hoped to say in Seattle for at least 20 years until their retirement. Last year, the pair even bought their first home, located in Ballard.

Two years ago, Wendy changed jobs to become director of development for Harborview Hospital. With her new job came a new type of work authorization from the federal government that listed her as a management consultant and had to be renewed on a yearly basis.

The authorization had been renewed once, but a few months ago the couple was informed that the government had requested additional evidence that a second renewal was warranted. The McDowalls' attorney told them this is usually a signal that an application will be denied.

When Wendy recently received a job offer from an opera company in Toronto, the couple decided they couldn't risk losing her income. She returned to Toronto in July. Chris followed in early September.

McDowall said he and his wife would like to return to the Northwest if the opportunity arises. "The West Coast is where we ultimately want to be," he said. "This has been an absolutely spectacular experience."