During that time, the man — who can only be identified as B189 due to a publication ban — joined the Sea Tiger wing and engaged in a three-hour battle with a Sri Lankan ship, during which he was shot in the leg, the Vancouver Sun reported quoting IRB spokesperson Melissa Anderson, who attended Tuesday's hearing.

He is the first of the 492 migrants who arrived on the MV Sun Sea last year to be deported due to links to the LTTE.

"The Immigration and Refugee Board has determined the subject to be a risk to our national security and is not admissible to Canada under our laws," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said in a statement. "Today's decision is an unmitigated victory for the rule of law.

"Our government will continue our fight to preserve the integrity of our immigration system for those who come to Canada lawfully — including all legitimate refugees. Canada will continue to opens its doors to those who work hard and play by the rules."

At Tuesday's hearing, Carla Medley, a Canada Border Services Agency representative, told the board that the migrant had undergone basic training for three or four months and also received combat training where he learned to fire a weapon, Anderson said.

He was then recruited to join the Tigers' naval wing — the Sea Tigers — in 1993 and worked as a motor mechanic.

The role he performed was "not marginal," Medley said, according to Anderson.

Under Canadian immigration law, the immigration board only has to find that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" the migrant was a member of the Tigers. In his ruling, adjudicator Michael McPhalen said the threshold had been met and ordered the migrant deported.

In 2009, another vessel — the Ocean Lady — carrying 76 Tamil migrants arrived on B.C.'s coast.