Muslim man wonders if cross-border incident is slowing his citizenship application

A Mississauga man believes an encounter during which he was questioned about hisMuslim faith at a Canada-United Statesborder crossing has thrown a wrench into his plans to become a Canadian citizen.

The man, who said he's worried revealing his identity will affect his future job prospects, arrived in Ontario from India seven years ago. He says he was detained by U.S. border guards while attempting to cross into Buffalo in the summer of 2015.

"The questions that were thrown to me were about my faith, like how many times I pray," he told CBC Toronto. "They looked at me with suspicion."

• U.S. Congress moves ahead bill to simplify border crossing
• Canadian woman turned away from U.S. border after questions about religion, Trump
• Search and interrogate: What you need to know when crossing U.S. border

He and his wife were locked in a room and questioned briefly about their travel history, why they were entering the U.S. and whether he planned to work there. But the majority of the questions, he said, centredon his faith, including whether he was "moderate" or "fundamentalist."

They remained there foreight hours before the U.S. guards told him they were revoking his visa and denying him entry. He'd been scheduled to a help a relative in New York State move the next day, he says.

But it's what happened later that has him confused and frustrated.

He says that although he had applied for citizenship earlier in 2014, his application has still not been processed. His wife, who applied several months after him, was granted citizenship last summer.

He says his calls to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) have provided no clues about the delay in his own application, which has led him to believe it was the incident at the U.S.border that's behind it.

He says he has also contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but is no closer to learning whether the U.S. passed information about his encounter on to Canadian authorities which he believes could explain why Ottawa is not moving faster to process his application.

CBC Torontohas contacted US Customs and Border Protection about the claims, but has not yet received a reply.

In an email to CBC Toronto, CIC spokesperson Remi Larivieresaid, "[His] citizenship application is still under review. Applications are processed on the basis of their individual circumstances, and processing times can vary."

CIC has not yet responded to further questions about the case, includingwhether his detentionat the border has caused delays in processing his application.

According to the CIC website, delays in processing a citizenship application can be a sign that the application is "non-routine."

And Toronto immigration lawyerGuidyMamann - who does not representthe man - says the encounter could mean Ottawa is reticent in granting him citizenship.

"If the Americans had him locked up in a room for eight hours, and I understand they cancelled a lawfully-obtained visa right then and there, they absolutely had concerns about him," Mamann said Friday. "Is it possible that they shared that information with the Canadians? Absolutely."

"And would the Canadians be taking that into account in connection with granting this person citizenship? Yeah I have no doubt that's a possibility, if not a probability."

The Mississauga resident says he has no criminal recordand had never before had problems crossing any international border, which makes him wonder whether someone with a similar name has come under U.S. scrutiny - something that Mamman maintains "happens all the time, especially in certain cultures."

Mamann also points out that although several years ago applications for Canadian citizenship could be processed in under a year, that has now changed. He says it's no longer unusual for processing to take severalyears, and muchlonger than that if there are complications, as there appear to be in the case.

'Be patient'

He also pointed out that American authorities, like those in Canada and other countries, are under no obligation to explain why they're refusing entry to a non-citizen.

His advice? "He's just going to have to be patient." If there's no resolution in a year or two, Mamann suggests he go to federal court and ask a judge to force the federal government to either grant him citizenship or explain why it's taking so long to process the application.

In the meantime, the man says the delay is causing him stress and frustration both at work and at home.

Not taking chances

He says his job requires that he travel - something he's refused to do since the incident at the border, since "I do not want to take chances."

It'salso taken a toll on his personal life.

"Home life, when it comes to this incident and its aftermath, has been stressful," he said. "It's affected me mentally."