A Jamaican national and Canadian permanent resident, Zavion Forde, faced legal troubles after impregnating his 13-year-old stepsister when he was about 22 years old. The girl alleged that Forde forced himself on her, while he claimed he did not remember the incident. This occurred in 2007, leading to his conviction for sexual interference in 2008, for which he received a sentence of five and a half months.

Under Canadian law, this conviction classified Forde as legally inadmissible to Canada due to the serious nature of his crime. However, immigration officials canceled his deportation, allowing him to remain in the country. Following this, Forde continued to commit offenses, including domestic violence, and by 2018, he was still engaged in legal battles. At that time, he had three Canadian children, the oldest being the child conceived through the criminal act. He used his parental status as part of his argument against deportation.

Forde lost his final appeal, but it remains unclear whether he was ultimately deported. The Canada Border Services Agency maintains that a criminal's deportation status is private information, which has raised concerns about transparency in the immigration process.

In Canada, only crimes that meet specific thresholds are considered serious enough to warrant deportation. This includes offenses with maximum sentences of 10 years or more, or those where the individual received a sentence exceeding six months. As a result, judges sometimes impose shorter sentences to prevent deportation of permanent residents.

Forde's case illustrates the complexities of Canadian immigration law. After his initial conviction, he was ordered deported in 2009 by a lower tribunal of the Immigration and Refugee Board. However, in 2010, adjudicator Hazelyn Ross allowed him to stay, despite his four prior convictions. Ross, who has a background in law and race relations policy, paused Forde's deportation for five years and imposed at least 16 conditions for him to follow. By 2016, he had violated six of these conditions.

The handling of Forde's case has drawn criticism, particularly regarding the decisions made during the Conservative government, which oversaw immigration laws at the time. While the Conservatives appointed the judge who ultimately rejected Forde's last appeal, they also elevated the immigration tribunal management that allowed him to remain in Canada.

The current Liberal government continues to face scrutiny over similar cases. Immigration adjudicators have been known to pause deportations for various permanent resident criminals, hoping for rehabilitation. Recently, in June, immigration appeal adjudicator Harold Shepherd paused the deportation of Ricky Ravikash Lal, a Fiji national with a lengthy criminal record spanning from 2006 to 2020. This ongoing situation highlights the challenges within the Canadian immigration system regarding the balance between public safety and the potential for rehabilitation.