Ali teaching kids in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement before he was attacked.
Ali, his wife and three young children are counting the days (literally) to when they receive news about their refugee application to Canada.
“The kids always ask: ‘When will we go to Saskatoon?'” Ali told Nest. “We are waiting and waiting. Counting the days. Checking emails. Checking phone messages. Waiting for news.”
Nest Saskatoon and the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) submitted Ali and his family’s refugee application to the Canadian government on November 4, 2025, under what was supposed to be a fast-track for people fleeing the Sudanese conflict. But their application has faced delays due to Ebola.
This week, Nest and the Canadian Lutheran World Relief sent a letter to the Visa Office requesting an exemption to the continued suspension.
The need for asylum:
When violence erupted in Khartoum, Sudan on April 15, 2023, Ali and his family fled. They eventually found temporary asylum in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where Ali taught English and drama to the kids in the camp.
But on July 10, 2025, a gang of South Sudanese youth armed with machetes and knives, attacked refugees in the settlement. One person was killed and many seriously injured, including Ali who required emergency surgery to save his life. (Photo below taken following surgery.)
Ali and his family no longer live in the Kiryandongo settlement, but they remain in Uganda where they don’t feel safe. “We live with a lot of stress. My attackers shouted, ‘We are going to kill you!’ I constantly worry they will return to finish the job.”
Nest hoped Ali’s refugee application would be processed quickly. Initially it was. The family completed their biometrics in early January. The interview with the Visa Office and medical check-ups were next.
But in May, Ali and his family’s refugee application was placed “on-hold” due to the Ebola out-break in Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Canadian government suspended processing of all immigration applications from those countries, including those of refugees.
Most people living in the three Ebola-affected countries were banned from entering Canada for 90 days. But Canadians visiting those countries were allowed to return home as long as they quarantined for 21 days after their arrival.
The 90 day suspension and travel ban impacted tens of thousands of people with immigration and visa applications to Canada, including two other Sudanese refugee families in Uganda sponsored by Nest.
Uganda had a total of 20 Ebola cases in 2026. The Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared the end of the Ebola outbreak on July 28, following 42 days without new local transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the country was Ebola-free on August 26.
But instead of lifting the suspension, the Canadian government extended the ban until September 28, a move sharply criticized by public health experts.
Roojin Habibi, a global health law researcher in Ottawa, told the Canadian Press that Canada’s travel restrictions go against expert guidance from the WHO.
“I’m disappointed . . .the Canadian federal government opted to double down on discriminatory and harmful travel and immigration restrictions,” she said in a Linkedin post.
She questioned why people in the affected countries entering Canada through the immigration process are not allowed to quarantine the same way as Canadians. “Why are we applying different rules, depending on last place of residence, right? The public health argument is really weak,” she told the Canadian Press.
The Canadian government allows people affected by these measures to request an exemption.
That’s what Nest and CLWR did. In a letter to the Visa Office dated September 16, they documented the threats to Ali’s life and his need for asylum.
“Given the danger and uncertainty faced by the applicant and his family, we are requesting that this case be exempt from delay, and continue processing on an urgent basis,” CLWR said in the email.
We wait for news.
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