For a couple married 22 years but living more than 10,000 kilometres apart, an old immigration fight has new urgency as the coronavirus pandemic ravages India.

Paramjit Basanti, a 70-year-old Canadian citizen who lives in Surrey, is desperate to bring his 53-year-old wife, Charanjit, who holds Indian citizenship, to Canada.

CBC News has previously reported on the couple, who have been married since 1999 but spent all but about 18 months living in separate countries because immigration authorities have repeatedly denied Charanjit’s residency