Seidu Mohammed risked his life and lost his fingers making the long trek across the border near Emerson to come to Canada. Soon, he will find out if it was worth it.

On Thursday, he appeared in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board. He is hoping he will be declared a refugee, and allowed to stay in Canada.

If his appeal is denied however, he will be deported back to his native Ghana.

Mohammed and another man illegally crossed from the United States into Canada near Emerson on Christmas Eve. The temperatures were bitterly cold and his hands got frostbite.

The judge was not expected to make her decision Wednesday. Mohammed’s lawyer Bashir Kahn told CTV News it could be about six weeks before they receive word.

READ MORE: Man with severe frostbite recounts near-death trek across Canadian border