A man without a country has achieved a long-running quest to win Canadian citizenship.
Quia Birch was sworn in during a ceremony Tuesday morning in Surrey.
"It's kind of unbelievable," Birch said. "I'm so used to having to fill out another form or do something else. I've been on a never-ending trail of paperwork and what not."
Now 22 years old and living in Prince George, Birch was born in Arizona, but his mother didn’t register his birth and when he was 18 months old, she crossed the border into B.C. with him. She left her baby in McBride where he was raised by a friend of a friend.
Being without ID wasn’t a significant problem until he finished high school. But without government identification, he couldn’t legally work, drive a car or travel.
He said getting permanent residency 16 months ago cleared much of the way.
"But this is kind of the final step and yeah, it's done. I don't have to worry about it anymore," he said.
For a last name, he had been going by Gunster, the name of his adopted family, for most of his life. But for legal purposes, he's now using the last name given by his mother.
"The few legal documents - like witnesses to my birth - they were all filled out as Qia Birch and then when I got a document into Canada, they changed it to Qia Gunster but they didn't change it legally," Birch said. "I've been known as Qia Gunster all my life but as far as legality, Qia Birch has always been my somewhat legal name or as closest to legal name I ever had."
Birch, who is a third-year electrical apprentice, said many people were involved in his case and during the process came across others in the same situation. Being persistent is key, he said.
"Basically, you just got to find as many people as you can who are willing to help you who are in the positions where they're able to help you," Birch said.
He gave credit to Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer.
In a press release, Zimmer said his office had been working with Birch since he was first elected in 2011, " and I'm very pleased that we are able to announce a positive resolution."
"Quia is a determined young man who wants to continue his education and continue to live and work in northern B.C., and now he will be able to do just that with all the rights and privileges that come with citizenship."
