A Guyanese man is looking for answers from the Canadian High Commission in Trinidad after he was denied a temporary visa to travel to Canada to attend his mother's funeral, a report in the Trinidad Newsday said.

Errol Lam visited the Canadian High Commission last Wednesday to request a visa to enter Canada but was denied on the grounds that he did not meet the requirements for a temporary resident visa.

A disappointed Lam said he provided the High Commission with his credentials but was denied a visa by an officer who he says told him, "All you Guyanese does want to go Canada under refugee status. But not this time, you not getting through..."

Lam suggested to the officer that he be allowed to travel to Canada under the supervision of an immigration officer and that he be escorted to the funeral and back to the airport, but this was also denied.

"Imagine this was my last chance to see my mother and they denied me that. I never wanted to stay permanently in their country, I just wanted to see my mom."

Lam, a freelance photographer, said that when he learned of his mother's death he immediately flew to Trinidad to apply for a visa, as they are not issued in Guyana.

Lam said the letter he received from the Canadian High Commission indicated that several factors were considered before the decision was arrived at, including his travel and identity documents, reason for travelling to Canada and his contacts there, financial means for the trip, ties to his country of residence including employment, family ties and whether he was likely to leave at the end of his authorised stay.

Lam explained that he provided the commission with his passport and identification documents, a copy of his mother's death certificate, including the date and time of the funeral, a letter from his brother stating that he would cover all his financial costs and letters from Guyana's Foreign Affairs Ministry indicating that he was a freelance journalist and from a mining company where he was employed for four years. But this was to no avail.

Lam also told Newsday that he had previously applied for a visa a few weeks ago after he received a letter from the Toronto General Hospital stating that his mother's health had deteriorated and that she was not expected to survive for very long.

But the same officer said, "Sorry sir, I don't think this constitutes an emergency."

"Now that my mom has died the same officer denied me entry to the country to pay my last respects. It leaves me to wonder if she has something against Guyanese people... I don't want to live there I just wanted to see my mom one last time."