A Hamilton family originally from South Korea is on tenterhooks while facing possible deportation.

Meanwhile, they are trying to navigate what they feel is an Immigration Canada maze so they can continue to stay in Canada on humanitarian grounds after living here for 12 years.

The father, Sungsoo Kim, 46, was at work as a data analyst in Mississauga on a seemingly normal day a little over a week ago when he suddenly discovered his work permit expired last November.

"As soon as I found out, I was freaked out," he says. "One day, everything is fine. The next day, no job, no status."

Kim came to Canada in 2003 on a student permit to attend Mohawk College. His wife Sunmi and children Lisa, then eight years old, and Taehoon, three, were allowed to accompany him.

Kim applied for permanent residency in 2006, two years after Taehoon was diagnosed with autism. The permanent residency application was denied in 2012 because of Taehoon's autism.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officials at the time said Kim didn't meet Canada's immigration requirements because Taehoon, by then 12 and still a dependent, "is a person whose health condition, autism, might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services."

Since his son was inadmissible, so was Kim.

Kim's mother, brother and sister have long lived in Canada and are Canadian citizens. Kim had no idea his son's autism would impede his chances of also staying in Canada, he says.

The family faced deportation back in 2012, but Kim's employer was able to get his work permit renewed until late 2014 and had applied again to extend it beyond that, Kim says. In the meantime, Kim applied to the department to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. That application is still with the CIC.

All seemed well and Kim, feeling secure in his job, awaited word from CIC.

Lisa, now 20, was doing well in third-year nursing at McMaster University. Taehoon, now 15, was progressing in Grade 10 at Bishop Tonnos. And Sungsoo and wife Sunmi bought a new house in Mount Hope and continued to help out in the community.

Kim, 46, points out he has paid income taxes since his first job in 2005 following his graduation from Mohawk.

On learning Thursday that his work permit has expired, Kim left his work at Pattison Outdoor Advertising in Mississauga immediately and pulled his son out of high school.

"I'm not the kind of person who would hide things. That's why I took my son out and I don't go to work."

But he is on edge, he says. "I'm stuck. I can't do anything."

No one at CIC can tell him the status of his July 2012 application to stay on humanitarian grounds and the 90-day appeal on his work permit denial has lapsed, so he has no status in Canada at the moment, he says.

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He fears Immigration officials will swoop down on his house at any time to remove the family and deport them to South Korea.

All he can do now is sit and wait, and see if his MP can help, he says.

Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook) said from Ottawa Wednesday that he spoke to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander that very day after question period about the matter and that Alexander promised to look into it.

Allison is also trying to sort the problems that appear to have interfered with renewing the work permit, he said, adding Kim and his family deserve to stay.

"This guy has been a huge part of the community. He's been paying taxes. He's been here since 2003 and his children have attended school here. … I'm going to continue to fight for (him)."

He promised to continue to push for answers and assistance "on both fronts, at CIC and politically, with the minister" and to be in touch with Kim daily to update him.

"We're at a critical time here," he said, because Kim is not working. "We'll continue to push for timely answers as well."

CIC spokesperson Sonia Lesage said Kim's work permit was denied because there was "no valid Labour Market Impact Assessment" submitted with his application. On Kim's humanitarian and compassionate grounds application, she would only say it is being processed.

Kim's friend Ian Evans has started an online fund at gofundme.com/kimfamily to help Kim out financially now that he is without an income or health card and has to pay everything out of pocket.

"If he or anyone in his family had to go to the hospital, that's pretty scary," Evans says.

"The problem I have is he's been here 12 years now. He's had a full-time job since the day he was done college and he owns a house and pays taxes … He's an honest-to-God standup citizen — unfortunately not of Canada."