OTTAWA - A passenger on the MV Sun Sea ship has admitted to being a member of the Tamil Tigers and ordered out of Canada, but don't expect the unnamed man to be booted out anytime soon.

The man, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, initially denied being associated with the Tiger terrorist group but later admitted to officials with the Canadian Border Services Agency that he had been a member. The Tamil Tigers waged a vicious civil war against the Sri Lanka government over four decades.

Critics of the system say it could take years for the man to actually be deported.

"It's just ridiculous," said James Bissett with The Centre for Immigration Policy Reform.

"The classic case is convicted terrorist Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad, he was ordered deported in 1986," said Bissett. "He's still here and his case is still before the court. It's cost the taxpayer $3 million and he's not paying."