OTTAWA, CANADA — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada approved permanent residency applications earlier in January 2026 for the brother and father of Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, the Ottawa man injured in the March 2024 mass stabbing that killed six people in his family’s home.
Immigration lawyer Ronalee Carey, representing the family, confirmed the approvals on January 19, 2026, while saying the confirmation cards remained pending.
Chelaka Wickramasinghe, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe’s brother, traveled to Canada after the killings to support him and applied for permanent residency last year alongside his father amid delays, with IRCC now approving both applications.
Carey said Chelaka Wickramasinghe plans to sponsor his wife and daughter, after they were previously denied visitor visas, with a processing time of 14 months.
Carey requested reconsideration of the visa denials from Canada’s immigration minister but received no response, and she is gathering documents for another attempt.
The immigration developments have drawn attention because the approvals come in the shadow of a high-profile Ottawa mass murder case that devastated an extended family and left a survivor with lasting ties to Canada.
In March 2024, a mass stabbing in Ottawa killed Wickramasinghe’s wife Darshani Ekanayake and their four children, along with a family friend, in their Ottawa townhouse.
The victims were Darshani Ekanayake (35), son Inuka (7), daughters Ashwini (4), Ranaya (3), and Kelly (2 months), plus Gamini Amarakoon (40), according to publicly reported details included in the case coverage.
Dhanushka Wickramasinghe survived his injuries.
The perpetrator, Febrio De-Zoysa, later received a life sentence with no parole for 25 years in November 2025 after pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder.
That criminal case outcome closed one track of proceedings while leaving the family navigating separate immigration processes tied to who can remain in Canada and under what status.
IRCC’s approval of the permanent residency applications for Chelaka Wickramasinghe and his father means the applications have been granted, even as the physical confirmation cards remain pending.
For the family, those approvals represent an added measure of stability in Canada after the killings, at a time when close relatives have sought to remain near Dhanushka Wickramasinghe.
Carey’s involvement has centered on confirming what has been approved and pressing forward on options for the remaining immediate family members still outside Canada.
Chelaka Wickramasinghe’s wife and daughter have not joined him through visitor visas, after those applications were refused, and Carey asked for reconsideration from Canada’s immigration minister.
With no response received to that request, Carey has moved to collect documents for another attempt, while outlining other possible pathways discussed in the case.
Carey suggested the wife could apply for a work permit upon visitor entry, with the possibility of seeking expedited processing through a temporary resident permit alongside it, while also warning that processing remains lengthy.
The family’s immigration story has unfolded alongside a case that remained in the public eye because it involved the killing of young children, the death of their mother, and the survival of an injured father.
Chelaka Wickramasinghe and his father traveled to Canada after the murders, a move aimed at supporting Dhanushka Wickramasinghe as the criminal case proceeded and as the family tried to establish a longer-term presence.
Their permanent residency applications were filed last year, and the approvals earlier in January 2026 came after delays, with confirmation cards still pending.
While the criminal sentencing set out Febrio De-Zoysa’s punishment in November 2025, it did not determine what immigration outcomes would follow for surviving and arriving relatives.
Those immigration decisions have moved on a separate timeline, now marked by the confirmed approvals for two family members and ongoing efforts focused on bringing Chelaka Wickramasinghe’s wife and daughter to Canada.
The case remains high-profile in Ottawa, where the March 2024 killings in a townhouse left six people dead and one survivor injured, and where the family’s situation has kept public attention on what happens after a criminal verdict.
For the family, the confirmed permanent residency approvals stand as the clearest immigration milestone so far, even as the pending confirmation cards and the unresolved pathways for Chelaka Wickramasinghe’s wife and daughter continue to shape what comes next.
Family of Ottawa Mass Murder Victims Gets Permanent Residency Applicat…
Canadian immigration authorities have granted permanent residency to the father and brother of Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who survived a 2024 mass stabbing in Ottawa. The attack resulted in the deaths of six people, including five members of Wickramasinghe’s immediate family. While these residency approvals mark a major milestone for family stability, legal efforts persist to reunite remaining family members whose previous visitor visa applications were denied.
