Family mourning siblings' deaths struggles to get visa approvals to attend funeral in Manitoba

A family is mourning the death of two siblings from Nigeria in a crash in Manitoba earlier in the summer, but as they prepare to say their last goodbyes at a funeral this week, some relatives are still struggling to get visas approved so they can be there.

Precious Aloysuis, 21, and Christabel Aloysuis, 23, died in a crash in northwestern Manitoba on Highway 60, about 30 kilometres east of Highway 10, on Sept. 1.

"For the whole family ... it is the worst thing that could have ever happened," Modes Michael, cousin and caregiver of the siblings in Winnipeg, told CBC News.

However, eight of the family members who applied for emergency visitor visas to attend the funeral in Winnipeg this week had them denied.

The siblings were travelling with their older sister Miracle Aloysuis, 25, from Winnipeg to The Pas to drop off Christabel at the University of Manitoba's nursing school campus for what would have been the start of her last year of classes, Michael said.

But they never made it to the school.

RCMP said their car hit the road's shoulder. The driver overcorrected and lost control, and the vehicle rolled over. 

Precious and Christabel, who were in the back seat, were ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. 

Miracle, who was driving the car, and an 18-year-old friend of the siblings sitting beside her in the front seat were taken to hospital with minor injuries. 

The three siblings came one by one to Canada for the same reason — to receive a better post-secondary education abroad that could have set them up to chase their "own aspiration in life," Michael said. 

All three went into nursing school, and Precious was already working at a long-term care home in Winnipeg while completing studies at the University of Manitoba, heading into third year this fall. 

"Precious was so loving that everyone wants to be around him," Michael said. 

"Christabel was just like an angel.… She [was] so humble and so respectful," her cousin said. "She reminded me of my mother. She had a very cultivated smile and the gentle way she used to talk."

The 23-year-old spent much of her time in Winnipeg at the youth fellowship of her local chapel, where Michael would see her almost every weekend. 

"Those memories are always [there], the memories cannot just fade away," he said. "This is not easy for anyone in their family."

Precious and Christabel's relatives are bidding them farewell at a funeral service in Winnipeg this week at the request of their parents.

Eight family members living outside of Canada submitted emergency visitor visa applications to attend the service, but Michael said only the parents were granted the documents. 

Visitor visas for other relatives, including their aunt, uncle and older brother, were refused by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The reason given was insufficient proof that they would leave the country after the funeral, Michael said.

CBC News reached out to IRCC, but the federal office didn't immediately comment, saying case status requests often take several days to process. 

Michael said the family is concerned about Precious and Christabel's parents, who are coming to Canada alone and will have to say their last goodbye to their children without a "strong emotional family support."

"We lost two lives and we need at least two other family members to accompany them to Winnipeg, because it is not easy for them," he said. "This is really hard. They have been traumatized."

The family is now working with Terry Duguid, their member of Parliament, in hopes IRCC's decision can be reconsidered and the visas for the brother and maternal aunt can be approved, Michael said.

But if that doesn't happen, Vera Keyede, president of the Nigerian Association of Manitoba, fears the government's decision will add to the grief experienced by the family — especially for those who will not attend the funeral, like their brother, who last saw Precious and Christable 12 years ago.  

The organization has been rallying support from Manitoba's Nigerian community to help the family since the crash, submitting letters of invitation for the visa application and raising funds online to cover uninsured funeral expenses. 

In light of the visa refusals, they are now looking for people who can volunteer time to stay with Precious and Christable's parents while they're in Winnipeg.

"This is what we do.… People stick together, people give together," Keyede said. "I'm not surprised to see that people are rising up, asking from the get-go, 'What do you need us to do?'"