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General Questions about Immigrating to Canada

Is Canada welcoming to foreigners?

Why should I consider Canada as a country to immigrate to?

Where can I find application forms and guides to apply for permanent Canadian residency?

What is the difference between a Permanent Canadian Resident and a Canadian Citizen?

What's the difference between someone who has immigration status, and someone who has permanent residency status?

What is Citizenship and Immigration Canada?

How can I qualify to become a permanent resident?

Do I apply to the province in which I want to live or to the Federal Government?

What is the Year 2/5 rule?

10.

What is the difference between an immigration visa and a work permit?

11.

Can I apply for an immigration visa and a work visa at the same time?

12.

Will applying for permanent residency cost me any money?

13.

Can I pay processing fees in my country's currency?

Answers

Is Canada welcoming to foreigners?

Absolutely! Canada is well recognized around the world for opening its doors to immigrants looking for a better quality of life. Canada is a country built by immigrants. It is officially a multicultural country and holds two official languages, English and French. Each year, an average of 220,000 individuals immigrate to Canada, and 160,000 become Canadian citizens.

Back to the question list

Why should I consider Canada as a country to immigrate to?

The following are among the most common reasons why immigrants are attracted to Canada:

Canada has a very high standard of living.
Canada is a democratic country where individual rights and freedoms are protected by law by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada has one of the best universal health care systems in the world.
Canada has an excellent publicly funded education system.
Canada has many job opportunities.
Canada is the second largest country in the world. With a square surface of 9,976,128 sq km and merely 30 million residents, there is ample physical room for newcomers.
There are is a multitude of international cultural, ethnic and religious communities to support newcomers in their adjustment to Canadian life.
Canada is a peaceful country that does not have any internal wars.

Back to the question list

Where can I find application forms and guides to apply for permanent Canadian residency?

You can download all the forms and guides you need to complete your application from Citizenship and Immigration Canada's website.

Back to the question list

What is the difference between a Permanent Canadian Resident and a Canadian Citizen?

As a permanent resident, you have the right to live in Canada forever. You must live in Canada 2 out of every 5 years to maintain your PR residency status. As a permanent resident, you benefit from most of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, such as free social assistance, free education, universal health care, and the right to live and work anywhere in Canada. However you do not have the right to vote and hold a Canadian passport. After being a permanent resident for 3 years, you can apply to be a Canadian citizen.

As a Canadian citizen, you enjoy all rights and freedoms bestowed on Canadians by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including the right to vote, to participate in political activities and to run for political office. You may also apply for a Canadian passport.

Both permanent residents and Canadian citizens must pay Canadian taxes.

Back to the question list

What's the difference between someone who has immigration status, and someone who has permanent residency status?

There is no difference. Both terms are used interchangeably. However, Citizenship and Immigration Canada uses the term permanent residence.

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What is Citizenship and Immigration Canada?

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada is a branch of the federal government that overseas immigration and citizenship issues. It is responsible for establishing policy, processing applications for permanent and temporary visas, citizenship as well as refugee applications. It's mandate is to link citizenship registration with immigration services, to promote ideals shared by Canadians and to help build a stronger Canada.

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How can I qualify to become a permanent resident?

There are specific categories through which to apply to become a permanent resident. Each one has its own set of eligibility criteria and procedures. These include: Family Sponsorship, Skilled Workers Class, Business Class, Experience Class, the Provincial Nominee Program and Refugee claims.

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Do I apply to the province in which I want to live or to the Federal Government?

Unless you are applying to the Provincial Nominee Program, you apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which is a national organization. Being approved as a permanent resident by CIC allows you to work and live in any province or territory you choose, except for Québec, which has its own unique application process. If you are applying to work and live in a specific province, you can apply directly to it through the Provincial Nominee Program. If the province approves your application, they will nominate you for permanent residency to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, to which you will have to apply.

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What is the Year 2/5 rule?

Your permanent resident card is valid for 5 years, and will be renewed continuously after that. However, Canadian immigration law stipulates that you must live in Canada for 2 out of the 5 years. It does not matter if this time is consecutive or happens intermittently. You may live abroad for 3 out of each 5 year period, and again, you may divide this time as you would like.

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10.

What is the difference between an immigration visa and a work permit?

An immigration visa is another term for permanent residency. It allows you to stay in Canada indefinitely. A work permit is only valid for a pre-determined number of years. Once it expires, you must leave Canada, or apply to be a permanent resident through the Experience Class.

Back to the question list

11.

Can I apply for an immigration visa and a work visa at the same time?

Yes you can. Citizenship and Immigration Canada recognizes this as dual intent. It demonstrates your ultimate goal to be a permanent resident and applying to be a temporary resident as a kind of first step in the door.

Back to the question list

12.

Will applying for permanent residency cost me any money?

Yes, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a fee schedule that varies depending on which category you are applying to.

Family class principal applicant:	$550
Skilled workers:	$550
Entrepreneur, investor, self-employed:	$1,050
Each accompanying family member over 22 years of age:	$550
Each accompanying family dependents under 22 years of age:	$150
All successful applicants must pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee:	$490

You will incur additional costs such as paying for a police certificate, medical examination certificate, education transcripts, etc.

Back to the question list

13.

Can I pay processing fees in my country's currency?

No. All fees must be paid in Canadian dollars.

Back to the question list

http://www.londonimmigrationlawyers.ca/index.php?page=general_faq

The refugee system in Canada

Tradition of humanitarian action

Our compassion and fairness are a source of great pride for Canadians.
These values are at the core of our domestic refugee protection system and our resettlement program. Both programs have long been praised by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Refugees are people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution, and who are therefore unable to return home. Many refugees come from war-torn countries and have seen or experienced unthinkable horrors.
A refugee is different from an immigrant, in that an immigrant is a person who chooses to settle permanently in another country. Refugees are forced to flee.

Canadian refugee protection programs

The Canadian refugee system has two main parts:

the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for people seeking protection from outside Canada; and
the In-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada.

Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

There are an estimated 16.7 million refugees in the world today. Countries with resettlement programs resettle about 100,000 refugees from abroad each year. Of that number, Canada annually takes in roughly one out of every 10 refugees, through the government-assisted and privately sponsored refugee programs.
Refugees selected for resettlement to Canada have often fled their homes because of unimaginable hardships and have, in many cases, been forced to live in refugee camps for many years. When they arrive in Canada, they basically pick up the pieces of their lives and start over again.
As a member of the international community, Canada helps find solutions to prolonged and emerging refugee situations and helps emerging democracies try to solve many of the problems that create refugee populations. To do this, Canada works closely with the United Nations Refugee Agency.
In May 2007, for example, Canada committed to resettling up to 5,000 Bhutanese refugees and later expanded that commitment to resetting 6,500 refugees. As of September 30, 2014, more than 6,000 Bhutanese have already arrived in Canada.
Canada also continues to resettle Iraqi refugees. Building on existing commitments, Canada has expanded its commitment to help by resettling an additional 3,000 Iraqi refugees. This brings Canada’s total Iraqi resettlement commitment to 23,000 refugees. As of December 2014, Canada had already resettled more than 21,000 Iraqi refugees since 2009.
Canada has also expanded its commitment to help Syrian refugees by resettling an additional 10,000 Syrians over the next three years. This brings Canada’s total commitment to helping Syrian refugees up to 11,300 by the end of 2017.
Private sponsors across the country also help resettle refugees to Canada. Some are organized to do so on an ongoing basis and have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. These organizations are known as Sponsorship Agreement Holders. They can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees. Other sponsors, known as Groups of Five and Community Sponsors, are persons/groups in the community who are not involved on an ongoing basis but have come together to sponsor refugee(s).
Canada has also introduced a third program to welcome refugees. Launched in 2013, the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program matches refugees identified for resettlement by the UNHCR with private sponsors in Canada.
Refugees benefit from up to six months of income support from Federal Government, while private sponsors provide another six months of financial support. In addition, throughout their first year in Canada, these refugees benefit from the personal and community connections they make with their sponsors. They receive ongoing social and emotional support while they help to adjustment to life in Canada.

In-Canada Asylum Program

Refugees come from around the world and many make their claims in Canada. The number of people arriving varies from year to year. In 2014, more than 13,500 people came to Canada and made an asylum claim.
The asylum program works to provide refugee protection to people in Canada who have a well-founded fear of persecution or are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries.
Not everyone is eligible to seek asylum. For example, people convicted of serious criminal offences and people who have had previous refugee claims denied by Canada are not eligible to make a claim.

Integration services

Refugees—resettled from overseas or granted protection in Canada—often do not have the resources to easily establish themselves.
As such, the Government of Canada, working with an extensive network of partners and stakeholders, supports the delivery a broad range of settlement services to support successful integration of all refugees.

Assistance for resettled refugees

Resettled refugees get initial assistance from either the federal government, the Province of Quebec, or private sponsors (organizations or groups of people in Canada).
In keeping with Canada’s proud humanitarian and compassionate traditions, individuals and families selected under the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) program are provided with immediate and essential services as well as income support under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) to support their initial settlement in Canada.
This income support is typically provided for up to one year or until the client becomes self-sufficient, whichever comes first. Canada provides RAP income support to eligible clients who cannot pay for their own basic needs. Monthly income support levels for shelter, food and incidentals are guided by the prevailing provincial or territorial basic social assistance rates in the client’s province or territory of residence.
RAP also provides immediate and essential services, generally delivered during the first four to six weeks following a client’s arrival in Canada, including:

port of entry and reception services;
temporary accommodation;
help to find permanent accommodation;
needs assessments;
information and orientation; and
links to other federal and provincial programs, as well as to other settlement services.

Private sponsors are responsible for providing financial and emotional support to privately sponsored refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period, or until the refugee becomes financially independent if this should occur during the sponsorship period. This includes help with housing, clothing and food. Most sponsorships last for one year, but some refugees may be eligible for assistance from their sponsors for up to three years.
Blended visa office-referred refugees receive six months of RAP income support, while private sponsors provide up to six months of financial support and up to a year of social and emotional support.
These supports are in addition to settlement services funded by CIC to help all newcomers, including refugees, settle and integrate into their new communities.

Assistance for all newcomers, including refugees

CIC also funds a Settlement Program that supports newcomers to help them settle and adapt to life in Canada. CIC works with provinces and territories, service provider organizations, as well as a range of other partners and stakeholders in delivering these services, which include:

needs assessment and referral services to increase newcomers’ awareness of their settlement needs and link newcomers to CIC-funded and community settlement services;
information and orientation services to better understand life in Canada and make informed decisions about the settlement experience. This includes Canadian Orientation Abroad program, delivered pre-arrival by the International Organization for Migration, which provides general information on settlement, in person;
language training in English and French, so newcomers have the language skills to function in Canada;
employment services that help newcomers search for, gain and retain employment in regulated and non-regulated professions;
community connections services that enable newcomers to receive assistance in public institutions, build networks with long-time Canadians and established immigrants with opportunities to fully participate in Canada society; and
support services which help newcomers access settlement services, such as childcare, transportation assistance, translation and interpretation services, provisions for persons with a disability, as well as short-term/crisis counselling to deal with settlement issues.

Conclusion

Finding who is in need of Canada’s protection is a process that must take into consideration the responsibility of helping those in genuine need while protecting the system against those who seek to abuse it. The health and safety of Canadians must also be ensured.
Our refugee protection programs have helped refugees bring their experiences and skills and their hopes and dreams to Canada which, in turn, has contributed to an even richer and more prosperous society for us all.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/canada.asp

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REFUGEE CLAIMANTS IN CANADA: SOME FACTS

o Français

o CCR home

5 October 2007

There has been considerable recent media coverage about refugee claimants arriving in Canada. The following information is provided in order to give more context and correct some misinformation.

Canada is not being “inundated” by refugee claimants. There is neither a “tsunami” nor a “flood” of refugee claimants entering Canada. Inflammatory and hyperbolic rhetoric like this distorts the truth and does a disservice to those who are fleeing human rights abuses and need Canada’s protection. In reality the number of claims has gone up in recent months, but this is normal: numbers always fluctuate from month to month and from year to year:

In 2001, there were close to 45,000 claims made. In 2005, there were fewer than 20,000.
Numbers fluctuate seasonally. In each of the last three years, the months of August and September saw more claims than June and July.
A bus filled with 40 people wishing to make claims is insignificant in relation to the overall number of claims. It represents only a small fraction of 1% of the total number of claims likely to be made in the year.
Most claims in Canada are made from within Canada at an immigration office (62% in 2006). About a third of all claims are made at the Etobicoke office (which covers Toronto). Claims at the land border represented only 1 in 5 claims made in 2006.
The number of claimants in Canada is trivial compared with many other countries. Syria is hosting over a million Iraqi refugees. This is equivalent, on a per capita basis, to Canada receiving over two million refugees.

Very few Mexicans have come to Canada from the U.S. to make a refugee claim. Prior to the arrivals of Mexicans from the U.S. in the last few weeks, there were virtually no Mexicans making refugee claims at the U.S-Canada border. The overwhelming majority of the Mexican claimants in Canada have been coming directly from Mexico.

Some Mexicans have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country and need Canada’s protection. There are significant human rights abuses occurring in Mexico. In fact, Canada has been criticized by the UN Committee Against Torture for failing to offer refugee protection to a Mexican survivor of torture, Enrique Falcon Rios. [See release]

Some people make a claim in Canada after having been abused and exploited by unscrupulous agents who sell false information. Some have been told that there is a special program for people of their nationality or that they can apply for a work permit and then proceed to permanent residence. Having arrived in Canada and found that the information is false, they are often in a much worse situation than before they came to Canada. [See notice warning against false information]

Many refugee assistance organizations in Canada and the U.S. are working hard to ensure that people have accurate information about Canada’s refugee programs. Unfortunately, they are now feeling threatened by the Canadian government, which has sent a strong message of intimidation by arresting a representative of such an organization, Janet Hinshaw Thomas, and charging her with “aiding and abetting” refugees. [See release] Meanwhile, people known to be taking money in exchange for false information about Canada’s programs are not facing prosecution.

There is a growing backlog of claims in the refugee determination system because of a longstanding failure by the Canadian government to appoint sufficient Board members to make decisions. The Immigration and Refugee Board is short more than a third of its members. The backlog not only causes hardship for refugees who must wait years to receive protection, but also acts as an incentive for people to make a claim in Canada, even if they expect that their claim will eventually be refused. [See release]

U.S. policies and practices have an impact on claims made in Canada. Although the Canadian government has designated the U.S. as a “safe country” for refugees, many refugees are not in fact safe in the U.S. The failure of the U.S. to provide asylum to many refugees who need it leads some refugees to turn to Canada for protection. Similarly, the failure of the U.S. to address the problem of its undocumented population leads some to grasp at promises of something better in Canada. In late 2002 and early 2003, the U.S. Special Registration program (NSEERS), which targeted males from mostly Muslim countries, led to a significant increase in claims in Canada from nationals of those countries. Some claimants arriving in Canada have U.S. citizen children, but feel they have no prospect of achieving status in the U.S. Some report having fled to Canada because of rumours that they would be deported and their children taken away from them.

Since December 2004, the U.S. has been designated by Canada as a safe third country for refugees. This means that most asylum seekers are ineligible to make a claim at the U.S.-Canada land border. If they attempt to do so, they are immediately returned to the U.S. where they may be detained. This has been the fate of some of the people given wrong information about Canada’s programs. There are some exceptions to the safe third country rule, including for Mexicans and Haitians. [See FAQs]

Like all other countries, Canada has international human rights obligations towards refugees. Canada must not, directly or indirectly, send a refugee to face persecution or torture. In order to comply with this obligation, Canada must make an individual determination of whether a person claiming refugee status would face persecution or torture before removing the person.

Refugee claimants in Canada are eligible for basic social assistance and emergency health care. This is a matter of basic human dignity: no one wants to see people starving or bleeding to death on the streets. However, under current law, refugee claimants are entitled to only the bare minimum: they do not, for example, receive full health coverage or child tax benefits. Many claimants do not want to rely on social assistance and find work as soon as they can. They pay taxes, which go towards services for Canadians to which they themselves are not entitled.

Refugees are persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Refugee claimants are persons who are asking for protection: they may or may not be refugees. A refugee claimant is not an “illegal immigrant”, a term that is in any case demeaning as it transfers the illegality to the person and no one is illegal. There is no such category as “economic refugee”. [See glossary]

http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/static-files/documents/claimsfacts07.htm

------------------------

There has been considerable recent media coverage about refugee claimants arriving in Canada. The following information is provided in order to give more context and correct some misinformation.

Canada is not being “inundated” by refugee claimants. There is neither a “tsunami” nor a “flood” of refugee claimants entering Canada. Inflammatory and hyperbolic rhetoric like this distorts the truth and does a disservice to those who are fleeing human rights abuses and need Canada’s protection. In reality the number of claims has gone up in recent months, but this is normal: numbers always fluctuate from month to month and from year to year:

In 2001, there were close to 45,000 claims made. In 2005, there were fewer than 20,000.
Numbers fluctuate seasonally. In each of the last three years, the months of August and September saw more claims than June and July.
A bus filled with 40 people wishing to make claims is insignificant in relation to the overall number of claims. It represents only a small fraction of 1% of the total number of claims likely to be made in the year.
Most claims in Canada are made from within Canada at an immigration office (62% in 2006). About a third of all claims are made at the Etobicoke office (which covers Toronto). Claims at the land border represented only 1 in 5 claims made in 2006.
The number of claimants in Canada is trivial compared with many other countries. Syria is hosting over a million Iraqi refugees. This is equivalent, on a per capita basis, to Canada receiving over two million refugees.

Very few Mexicans have come to Canada from the U.S. to make a refugee claim. Prior to the arrivals of Mexicans from the U.S. in the last few weeks, there were virtually no Mexicans making refugee claims at the U.S-Canada border. The overwhelming majority of the Mexican claimants in Canada have been coming directly from Mexico.

Some Mexicans have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country and need Canada’s protection. There are significant human rights abuses occurring in Mexico. In fact, Canada has been criticized by the UN Committee Against Torture for failing to offer refugee protection to a Mexican survivor of torture, Enrique Falcon Rios. [See release]

Some people make a claim in Canada after having been abused and exploited by unscrupulous agents who sell false information. Some have been told that there is a special program for people of their nationality or that they can apply for a work permit and then proceed to permanent residence. Having arrived in Canada and found that the information is false, they are often in a much worse situation than before they came to Canada. [See notice warning against false information]

Many refugee assistance organizations in Canada and the U.S. are working hard to ensure that people have accurate information about Canada’s refugee programs. Unfortunately, they are now feeling threatened by the Canadian government, which has sent a strong message of intimidation by arresting a representative of such an organization, Janet Hinshaw Thomas, and charging her with “aiding and abetting” refugees. [See release] Meanwhile, people known to be taking money in exchange for false information about Canada’s programs are not facing prosecution.

There is a growing backlog of claims in the refugee determination system because of a longstanding failure by the Canadian government to appoint sufficient Board members to make decisions. The Immigration and Refugee Board is short more than a third of its members. The backlog not only causes hardship for refugees who must wait years to receive protection, but also acts as an incentive for people to make a claim in Canada, even if they expect that their claim will eventually be refused. [See release]

U.S. policies and practices have an impact on claims made in Canada. Although the Canadian government has designated the U.S. as a “safe country” for refugees, many refugees are not in fact safe in the U.S. The failure of the U.S. to provide asylum to many refugees who need it leads some refugees to turn to Canada for protection. Similarly, the failure of the U.S. to address the problem of its undocumented population leads some to grasp at promises of something better in Canada. In late 2002 and early 2003, the U.S. Special Registration program (NSEERS), which targeted males from mostly Muslim countries, led to a significant increase in claims in Canada from nationals of those countries. Some claimants arriving in Canada have U.S. citizen children, but feel they have no prospect of achieving status in the U.S. Some report having fled to Canada because of rumours that they would be deported and their children taken away from them.

Since December 2004, the U.S. has been designated by Canada as a safe third country for refugees. This means that most asylum seekers are ineligible to make a claim at the U.S.-Canada land border. If they attempt to do so, they are immediately returned to the U.S. where they may be detained. This has been the fate of some of the people given wrong information about Canada’s programs. There are some exceptions to the safe third country rule, including for Mexicans and Haitians. [See FAQs]

Like all other countries, Canada has international human rights obligations towards refugees. Canada must not, directly or indirectly, send a refugee to face persecution or torture. In order to comply with this obligation, Canada must make an individual determination of whether a person claiming refugee status would face persecution or torture before removing the person.

Refugee claimants in Canada are eligible for basic social assistance and emergency health care. This is a matter of basic human dignity: no one wants to see people starving or bleeding to death on the streets. However, under current law, refugee claimants are entitled to only the bare minimum: they do not, for example, receive full health coverage or child tax benefits. Many claimants do not want to rely on social assistance and find work as soon as they can. They pay taxes, which go towards services for Canadians to which they themselves are not entitled.

Refugees are persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Refugee claimants are persons who are asking for protection: they may or may not be refugees. A refugee claimant is not an “illegal immigrant”, a term that is in any case demeaning as it transfers the illegality to the person and no one is illegal. There is no such category as “economic refugee”. [See glossary]

http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/static-files/documents/claimsfacts07.htm

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HEADS UP CANADA : u realize the niqab was invented by Saudis ... and YET SAUDIS REFUSE GIRLS/WOMEN 2 WRITE ANY EXAMS OR ID - IN NIQAB... so get a life... and Justin Bieber, Thomas the lost Teddy and Green - get cracking and get some actual work done in your communities.... stop the bullshit.... because if u all don't do better with your own houses... u will all lose very, very badly.... frankly Canadians are getting really disgusted with the lot of ya... and the tories- PM- I ain't a gonna change... MUST.... come on... Canadians deserve better from the lot of ya spoiled privileged and pampered elected sitting in Ottawa like the world don't matter especially Canadians..imho. come on... please. #WeAreRaif #WeAreNeda #1BRising

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153400836156886&set=p.10153400836156886&type=1&theater

Global News

After Liberal leader Justin Trudeau asked PM Stephen Harper to clarify his position on wearing a niqab during a citizenship ceremony, PM Stephen Harper explained that in that circumstance "it's easy to understand" why a face must remain uncovered during a ceremony. The PM then went on to ask why should Canadians embrace a practice from a culture that is anti-women which sparked a big round of applause.

Program to pay failed refugee claimants up to $2k to go home getting lots of takers

By Steve Mertl

National Affairs Contributor

By Steve Mertl | Daily Brew – Tue, 6 Aug, 2013

https://s3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/VkkCWGhqeD1voYOlmjFong--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http:/media.zenfs.com/en_ca/News/Capress/CPT103109636_high.jpg

Members of the Canadian Border Services Agency gather at the Canadian border crossing in Surrey, B.C., on Oct. …The Conservative government's experiment to pay failed refugee claimants to go home apparently is a roaring success.

The Toronto Star reports that as of June, 2,157 people took advantage of Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration [AVRR] three-year pilot program, which aims to short-circuit the laborious and often costly program of removing unsuccessful claimants.

And talk about fast: It takes an average 32 days between the time a person registers in the program and when he or she gets on a plane to go home, the Star reported.
Under the program, which so far is available only in the Toronto area, failed claimants receive up to $2,000 if they apply before filing a legal appeal of their rejection in the Federal Court. The amount drops the further along a claimant is in the post-rejection process, down to $1,000 if they've exhausted their appeals and received a pre-removal risk assessment.
Recipients get a plane ticket home and money delivered in the form of reintegration assistance in the home country that can be put towards education or setting up a business.
The program, launched in June 2012, is administered in partnership with the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM), an intergovernmental group that co-operates on migration issues.
[ Related: Canada will pay failed refugee claimants up to $2,000 to go home ]
Eligibility requirements include compliance with the rules of the refugee-claim process and completion of a new travel document to ensure the journey home goes smoothly.
Those who aren't eligible include anyone with even a minor criminal record, someone rejected on national security grounds, organized-crime activity or international rights violations, if the original refugee claim was deemed not credible or if the would-be refugee dropped their claim.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 38 per cent of the money spent so far has gone to temporary accommodation and 35 per cent to "material assistance," such as buying daily necessities, the Star said.
Another 11 per cent went to open businesses and five per cent to education. The money is doled out by local agencies in the claimant's home country.
It's not clear from the CBSA or IOM web sites whether failed claimants who take advantage of the program have to promise not to make another claim in the near future. Presumably providing money to help claimants re-establish themselves at home make that less likely.
The Star said Hungary, Columbia, Mexico, which have among the highest refugee-claim rejection rates, Croatia and the Czech Republic are the top five countries for claimants using the program so far.
Canada accepted 5,412 refugees in 2012, down 26 per cent from the previous year, despite having a 2012 target of 7,500 to 8,000, CBC News reported in March.
According to the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, claim-acceptance rates ranged from 40 to 45 per cent from 1989 to 2011, regardless of the number of annual claims (12,000-43,000), though the rate dipped to 38 per cent in 2010 and 2011.
The pilot program has been fairly well received by refugee advocates, considering their usually contentious relationship with the government.
“For people who are going to return home rather than being shuffled out and dropped at the airport, it makes their return easier with the support,” Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees told the Star.
[ Related: Canada announces plan to fast-track refugee claims from Chile, South Korea ]
But immigration lawyer Ron Poulton, assessing the program after a year of operation, wrote on his firm's blog that "much remains unclear about this program specifically what, in concrete terms, an [AVRR] applicant may receive.
"The program has been touted as being beneficial for all involved, Canada achieves a high level of removals with reduced cost; the returnees can get assistance in creating sustainable small businesses and the communities to which they return get the benefit of increased economic activity," said Poulton.
"The experience in Europe, however, does not support these predictions. Although there are only a limited number of post return studies, they show that there is a very high failure rate among business ventures using reintegration support.
"It is presumed that this information will not be provided to applicants at the AVRR interview."
Toronto immigration lawyer Michael Niren also questions the program's approach.
"Paying for the trip home for a refugee who fears persecution really just facilitates removals," he told Yahoo! Canada News. "Often they are destitute and can barely make ends meet let alone pay for their trip back.
Niren said many failed refugees still fear returning to their homes and $2,000 is not much consolation for those who really wanted to stay here.
"I think the public can see though this one. This is no humanitarian gesture on the part of the government," he said.
Ottawa has set a target of 6,955 voluntary returns during the three-year pilot program, the Star said. Its performance would be reviewed to decide whether it's cost-effective and efficient but is expected to be renewed, and presumably expanded country-wide.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/program-pay-failed-refugee-claimants-2k-home-getting-193146167.html

Immigrants cost $23B a year: Fraser Institute report

Immigrants to Canada cost the federal government as much as $23-billion annually and “impose a huge fiscal burden on Canadian taxpayers,” according to a think-tank report released Tuesday that was immediately criticized as telling only part of the story.
The Fraser Institute report (download the PDF here or see it below) says newcomers pay about half as much in income taxes as other Canadians but absorb nearly the same value of government services, costing taxpayers roughly $6,051 per immigrant and amounting to a total annual cost of somewhere between $16.3-billion and $23.6-billion.
“It’s in the interest of Canada to examine what causes this and to fix it,” said Herbert Grubel, co-author of the report Immigration and the Canadian Welfare State. “We need a better selection process … We’re not here, as a country, to do charity for the rest of the world.”

The report acknowledges there are “popular propositions” about the benefits of immigration: Young immigrants pay taxes that support social services for Canada’s aging population; immigrants fill the low-paying jobs that others do not seem to want; Canadians are ennobled by allowing people to share in the country’s economic riches; immigration enriches the cultural life of Canadians, and future generations end up repaying their parents’ debt by earning an average or above-average living in the long run.
Mr. Grubel and economic consultant Patrick Grady argue, however, that these benefits either do not hold up to close scrutiny or that they are simply not worth the economic cost.
The 62-page report used a 2006 Census database to estimate the average incomes and taxes paid by immigrants who arrived in Canada over the period from 1987 to 2004. It found that immigrants paid an average of $10,340 in income tax and other taxes, compared with the $16,501 paid by all Canadians. While newcomers each received $110 less than the rest of Canadians, the “net fiscal transfer per immigrant” still amounted to $6,051 annually. The study examined the incomes of adults exclusively, and assumed the average immigrant pays taxes and receives benefits for 45 years.
“I’m sure the data behind the numbers is sound, but I think it only tells half the story,” said Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the Dominion Institute and author of Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto. “The fact is that we’re doing immigration on the cheap … We don’t spend enough money on language services, and we don’t do enough skills accreditation and training.”
He said he is sympathetic to the argument that family reunification is likely burdensome on the tax purse, but said it’s just a “drop in the bucket” given that those visas account for only 11,000 of the 250,000 or so newcomers expected this year.
“The trickier issue is that of the quarter of a million, only about 60,000 are skilled or professional workers,” he said. “Everyone else is dependents.”
Mr. Grubel, himself an immigrant who first migrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1956 “with nothing,” maintains that he is not anti-immigration but rather that he believes immigrants should “pay their way in the welfare state.”
He and Mr. Grady argue that the selection process should be revamped to focus on admitting skilled workers who have job offers with Canadian employers. Recent newcomers should also have to post a bond to cover payments for health-care and social services before their parents and grandparents are admitted as landed immigrants.
Douglas Cannon, a prominent B.C.-based immigration lawyer, said he understands the benefit of the cost calculation, but said it is impossible to attach a price-tag to the benefits of welcoming newcomers.
“Immigration is, in the end, about people and their futures, their dreams, their hopes — how can you put a dollar amount on that?” he said. “It’s about continuing to make Canada a place of opportunity.”
This was not Mr. Grubel’s foray into calculating the cost of Canada’s immigration policies. In 2005, the Fraser Institute released his study that pegged the 2002 cost at $18-billion, but he said this latest report is more “scientifically rigorous and less liable to attack.”
National Post
kcarlson@nationalpost.com
The new Fraser Institute report says Canada should revamp its immigration selection process. Here are some of its recommendations:
– Only those with a legitimate offer from a Canadian employer should be allowed to obtain a temporary work visa. All other grounds for granting immigrant visas should be discontinued, except those applicable to refugee claimants.
– The government should exclude all applicants likely to become a burden on the public health care system.
– The government should set up and supervise a privately run system for the collection of information about the residence and work status of those holding temporary work visas.
– Within one month of arriving in Canada, work-visa holders should be required to register with the enforcement agency and provide contact information.
– Employers of temporary workers must notify authorities when a foreign worker is laid off or has failed to show up for work.
– Work-visa holders who lose their jobs must find new employment within three months or leave Canada, unless their spouse is employed under the family-work visa provision.
– Immigrants may have their parents and grandparents join them as landed immigrants in Canada only after posting a bond to cover payments for health care and other social benefits.
Source: Immigration and the Canadian Welfare State, a Fraser Institute report by Herbert Grubel and Patrick Grady

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/immigrants-cost-23b-a-year-fraser-institute-report

1. [PDF]

You asked for it - Canadian Taxpayers Federation

https://www.taxpayer.com/.../Refugee_Benefits(You_Asked%20For%20It_).pdf - Cached - Similar

is: Does a refugee collect more in benefits and ... could receive $2,470 per month, much high- ... Start-Up Costs ... $150 for each additional family member.

1. ]

FINAL REPORT Refugee Research Synthesis 2009 - 2013 - ceris

ceris.ca/.../CERIS-Research-Synthesis-on-Refugees-19-May-2015.pdf - Cached

19 May 2015 ... Director, Centre for Refugees Studies, York University ... 3) secondary migration of refugees; 4) Canada's refugee protection systems in ..... of this massive resettlement program was the fortunate alignment of ..... back transportation loans as quickly as possible, before interest began to accrue on the loans,.

Huge costs of government bill highlighted

“These measures would be extremely costly, in terms of tax dollars, in terms of human suffering and in terms of Canada’s credibility internationally,” said Wanda Yamamoto, CCR President. “We don’t believe that Canadians want their tax dollars spent on locking up innocent children. And we know that keeping refugees in limbo leads only to disastrous consequences.”

According to the Auditor General, keeping a person in detention costs between $120 and $238 per day (2006-2007 figures). There were 49 children on the MV Sun Sea: keeping them in detention for a year would cost at a minimum over two million dollars. The cost of detaining everyone who arrived on the MV Sun Sea for a year would be over 21.5 million dollars.

“Many of the children on the Sun Sea have been living in a war zone – one little boy still has shrapnel in his head. They undertook a dangerous journey over the ocean, trying to save their lives and thinking that they would find safety in Canada,” said David Poopalapillai, spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress. “It is tough for the children being in detention: physically the place is fine, but emotionally it affects the children. The children cry for their fathers who are detained separately, and their mothers don’t know how to answer them.”

In the 1990s Canada had a policy that forced most Somali and Afghan refugees to wait in limbo for five years before becoming permanent residents, just as Bill C-49 would impose a five year limbo on some refugees. This policy had devastating consequences on the thousands affected and the wider community and resulted in the UNHCR requesting an opinion that found Canada in violation of the Refugee Convention. The policy was challenged in court as discriminatory and, in 2000, the government agreed to a settlement that eliminated the five-year limbo period.

“We are still seeing the consequences of this policy today in the Somali community,” said Mahad Yusuf, Executive Director, Midaynta Community Services, Toronto. “Families were kept separate for all those years. Young people were prevented from going to college or university, and some of them got onto the wrong path. Men who couldn’t bring their families or get a proper job fell into depression – some of them still have mental health problems. I believe that this problem of limbo in the 1990s may be partly responsible for the pattern of murders of Somali youth in Alberta and Ontario.”

Many legal scholars have underlined the numerous ways in which Bill C-49 violates Canada’s international obligations towards refugees. If the bill is adopted, Canada will lack the moral authority to play a leadership role internationally in efforts to find solutions to the problems faced by refugees. For example, this week over 15,000 Burmese are reported to have fled into Thailand. How can Canada credibly urge the Thai government to respect these refugees’ rights, when here at home we are denying refugees their rights?

The full costs of Bill C-49 are extensive and should lead Parliamentarians to dismiss this Bill at second reading.

70 organizations from across Canada have jointed the CCR in calling for Parliament to reject Bill C-49: http://ccrweb.ca/en/organizations-calling-defeat-bill-c-49.

Contacts:

Colleen French, CCR Communications Coordinator, 514-277-7223 ext. 1, email cfrench@ccrweb.ca

David Poopalapillai, Canadian Tamil Congress, (416) 240-0078

Mahad Yusuf, Midaynta, (416) 544-1992, ext. 229

PAGE 2 BLOG

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CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Canada does need more Immigrants- NOT Refugees – come on Europeans and Asia with your smarts and culture- we’d love u have u- SOME FACTS ON CANADA LAWS AND REGS.-/Passports/always blogs links/page 1 and 2

4 days ago nova0000scotia.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/canada-military-news-canada-does-need-more-immigrants-not-refugees-come-on-europeans-and-asia-with-your-smarts-and-culture-wed-love-u-have-u-some-facts-

[…]https://nova0000scotia.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/canadas-john-bairds-speech-2-united-nations-general-… […]

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General Questions about Immigrating to Canada

Is Canada welcoming to foreigners?

Why should I consider Canada as a country to immigrate to?

Where can I find application forms and guides to apply for permanent Canadian residency?

What is the difference between a Permanent Canadian Resident and a Canadian Citizen?

What's the difference between someone who has immigration status, and someone who has permanent residency status?

What is Citizenship and Immigration Canada?

How can I qualify to become a permanent resident?

Do I apply to the province in which I want to live or to the Federal Government?

What is the Year 2/5 rule?

10.

What is the difference between an immigration visa and a work permit?

11.

Can I apply for an immigration visa and a work visa at the same time?

12.

Will applying for permanent residency cost me any money?

13.

Can I pay processing fees in my country's currency?

Answers

Is Canada welcoming to foreigners?

Back to the question list

Why should I consider Canada as a country to immigrate to?

The following are among the most common reasons why immigrants are attracted to Canada:

Canada has a very high standard of living.
Canada is a democratic country where individual rights and freedoms are protected by law by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada has one of the best universal health care systems in the world.
Canada has an excellent publicly funded education system.
Canada has many job opportunities.
Canada is the second largest country in the world. With a square surface of 9,976,128 sq km and merely 30 million residents, there is ample physical room for newcomers.
There are is a multitude of international cultural, ethnic and religious communities to support newcomers in their adjustment to Canadian life.
Canada is a peaceful country that does not have any internal wars.

Back to the question list

Where can I find application forms and guides to apply for permanent Canadian residency?

You can download all the forms and guides you need to complete your application from Citizenship and Immigration Canada's website.

Back to the question list

What is the difference between a Permanent Canadian Resident and a Canadian Citizen?

Both permanent residents and Canadian citizens must pay Canadian taxes.

Back to the question list

What's the difference between someone who has immigration status, and someone who has permanent residency status?

There is no difference. Both terms are used interchangeably. However, Citizenship and Immigration Canada uses the term permanent residence.

Back to the question list

What is Citizenship and Immigration Canada?

Back to the question list

How can I qualify to become a permanent resident?

Back to the question list

Do I apply to the province in which I want to live or to the Federal Government?

Back to the question list

What is the Year 2/5 rule?

Back to the question list

10.

What is the difference between an immigration visa and a work permit?

Back to the question list

11.

Can I apply for an immigration visa and a work visa at the same time?

Back to the question list

12.

Will applying for permanent residency cost me any money?

Yes, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a fee schedule that varies depending on which category you are applying to.

Family class principal applicant:	$550
Skilled workers:	$550
Entrepreneur, investor, self-employed:	$1,050
Each accompanying family member over 22 years of age:	$550
Each accompanying family dependents under 22 years of age:	$150
All successful applicants must pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee:	$490

You will incur additional costs such as paying for a police certificate, medical examination certificate, education transcripts, etc.

Back to the question list

13.

Can I pay processing fees in my country's currency?

No. All fees must be paid in Canadian dollars.

Back to the question list

http://www.londonimmigrationlawyers.ca/index.php?page=general_faq

The refugee system in Canada

Tradition of humanitarian action

Canadian refugee protection programs

The Canadian refugee system has two main parts:

the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for people seeking protection from outside Canada; and
the In-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada.

Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

In-Canada Asylum Program

Integration services

Assistance for resettled refugees

port of entry and reception services;
temporary accommodation;
help to find permanent accommodation;
needs assessments;
information and orientation; and
links to other federal and provincial programs, as well as to other settlement services.

Assistance for all newcomers, including refugees

needs assessment and referral services to increase newcomers’ awareness of their settlement needs and link newcomers to CIC-funded and community settlement services;
information and orientation services to better understand life in Canada and make informed decisions about the settlement experience. This includes Canadian Orientation Abroad program, delivered pre-arrival by the International Organization for Migration, which provides general information on settlement, in person;
language training in English and French, so newcomers have the language skills to function in Canada;
employment services that help newcomers search for, gain and retain employment in regulated and non-regulated professions;
community connections services that enable newcomers to receive assistance in public institutions, build networks with long-time Canadians and established immigrants with opportunities to fully participate in Canada society; and
support services which help newcomers access settlement services, such as childcare, transportation assistance, translation and interpretation services, provisions for persons with a disability, as well as short-term/crisis counselling to deal with settlement issues.

Conclusion

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/canada.asp

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REFUGEE CLAIMANTS IN CANADA: SOME FACTS

o Français

o CCR home

5 October 2007

There has been considerable recent media coverage about refugee claimants arriving in Canada. The following information is provided in order to give more context and correct some misinformation.

Canada is not being “inundated” by refugee claimants. There is neither a “tsunami” nor a “flood” of refugee claimants entering Canada. Inflammatory and hyperbolic rhetoric like this distorts the truth and does a disservice to those who are fleeing human rights abuses and need Canada’s protection. In reality the number of claims has gone up in recent months, but this is normal: numbers always fluctuate from month to month and from year to year:

In 2001, there were close to 45,000 claims made. In 2005, there were fewer than 20,000.
Numbers fluctuate seasonally. In each of the last three years, the months of August and September saw more claims than June and July.
A bus filled with 40 people wishing to make claims is insignificant in relation to the overall number of claims. It represents only a small fraction of 1% of the total number of claims likely to be made in the year.
Most claims in Canada are made from within Canada at an immigration office (62% in 2006). About a third of all claims are made at the Etobicoke office (which covers Toronto). Claims at the land border represented only 1 in 5 claims made in 2006.
The number of claimants in Canada is trivial compared with many other countries. Syria is hosting over a million Iraqi refugees. This is equivalent, on a per capita basis, to Canada receiving over two million refugees.

Very few Mexicans have come to Canada from the U.S. to make a refugee claim. Prior to the arrivals of Mexicans from the U.S. in the last few weeks, there were virtually no Mexicans making refugee claims at the U.S-Canada border. The overwhelming majority of the Mexican claimants in Canada have been coming directly from Mexico.

Some Mexicans have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country and need Canada’s protection. There are significant human rights abuses occurring in Mexico. In fact, Canada has been criticized by the UN Committee Against Torture for failing to offer refugee protection to a Mexican survivor of torture, Enrique Falcon Rios. [See release]

Some people make a claim in Canada after having been abused and exploited by unscrupulous agents who sell false information. Some have been told that there is a special program for people of their nationality or that they can apply for a work permit and then proceed to permanent residence. Having arrived in Canada and found that the information is false, they are often in a much worse situation than before they came to Canada. [See notice warning against false information]

Many refugee assistance organizations in Canada and the U.S. are working hard to ensure that people have accurate information about Canada’s refugee programs. Unfortunately, they are now feeling threatened by the Canadian government, which has sent a strong message of intimidation by arresting a representative of such an organization, Janet Hinshaw Thomas, and charging her with “aiding and abetting” refugees. [See release] Meanwhile, people known to be taking money in exchange for false information about Canada’s programs are not facing prosecution.

There is a growing backlog of claims in the refugee determination system because of a longstanding failure by the Canadian government to appoint sufficient Board members to make decisions. The Immigration and Refugee Board is short more than a third of its members. The backlog not only causes hardship for refugees who must wait years to receive protection, but also acts as an incentive for people to make a claim in Canada, even if they expect that their claim will eventually be refused. [See release]

U.S. policies and practices have an impact on claims made in Canada. Although the Canadian government has designated the U.S. as a “safe country” for refugees, many refugees are not in fact safe in the U.S. The failure of the U.S. to provide asylum to many refugees who need it leads some refugees to turn to Canada for protection. Similarly, the failure of the U.S. to address the problem of its undocumented population leads some to grasp at promises of something better in Canada. In late 2002 and early 2003, the U.S. Special Registration program (NSEERS), which targeted males from mostly Muslim countries, led to a significant increase in claims in Canada from nationals of those countries. Some claimants arriving in Canada have U.S. citizen children, but feel they have no prospect of achieving status in the U.S. Some report having fled to Canada because of rumours that they would be deported and their children taken away from them.

Since December 2004, the U.S. has been designated by Canada as a safe third country for refugees. This means that most asylum seekers are ineligible to make a claim at the U.S.-Canada land border. If they attempt to do so, they are immediately returned to the U.S. where they may be detained. This has been the fate of some of the people given wrong information about Canada’s programs. There are some exceptions to the safe third country rule, including for Mexicans and Haitians. [See FAQs]

Like all other countries, Canada has international human rights obligations towards refugees. Canada must not, directly or indirectly, send a refugee to face persecution or torture. In order to comply with this obligation, Canada must make an individual determination of whether a person claiming refugee status would face persecution or torture before removing the person.

Refugee claimants in Canada are eligible for basic social assistance and emergency health care. This is a matter of basic human dignity: no one wants to see people starving or bleeding to death on the streets. However, under current law, refugee claimants are entitled to only the bare minimum: they do not, for example, receive full health coverage or child tax benefits. Many claimants do not want to rely on social assistance and find work as soon as they can. They pay taxes, which go towards services for Canadians to which they themselves are not entitled.

Refugees are persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Refugee claimants are persons who are asking for protection: they may or may not be refugees. A refugee claimant is not an “illegal immigrant”, a term that is in any case demeaning as it transfers the illegality to the person and no one is illegal. There is no such category as “economic refugee”. [See glossary]

http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/static-files/documents/claimsfacts07.htm

------------------------

There has been considerable recent media coverage about refugee claimants arriving in Canada. The following information is provided in order to give more context and correct some misinformation.

Canada is not being “inundated” by refugee claimants. There is neither a “tsunami” nor a “flood” of refugee claimants entering Canada. Inflammatory and hyperbolic rhetoric like this distorts the truth and does a disservice to those who are fleeing human rights abuses and need Canada’s protection. In reality the number of claims has gone up in recent months, but this is normal: numbers always fluctuate from month to month and from year to year:

In 2001, there were close to 45,000 claims made. In 2005, there were fewer than 20,000.
Numbers fluctuate seasonally. In each of the last three years, the months of August and September saw more claims than June and July.
A bus filled with 40 people wishing to make claims is insignificant in relation to the overall number of claims. It represents only a small fraction of 1% of the total number of claims likely to be made in the year.
Most claims in Canada are made from within Canada at an immigration office (62% in 2006). About a third of all claims are made at the Etobicoke office (which covers Toronto). Claims at the land border represented only 1 in 5 claims made in 2006.
The number of claimants in Canada is trivial compared with many other countries. Syria is hosting over a million Iraqi refugees. This is equivalent, on a per capita basis, to Canada receiving over two million refugees.

Very few Mexicans have come to Canada from the U.S. to make a refugee claim. Prior to the arrivals of Mexicans from the U.S. in the last few weeks, there were virtually no Mexicans making refugee claims at the U.S-Canada border. The overwhelming majority of the Mexican claimants in Canada have been coming directly from Mexico.

Some Mexicans have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country and need Canada’s protection. There are significant human rights abuses occurring in Mexico. In fact, Canada has been criticized by the UN Committee Against Torture for failing to offer refugee protection to a Mexican survivor of torture, Enrique Falcon Rios. [See release]

Some people make a claim in Canada after having been abused and exploited by unscrupulous agents who sell false information. Some have been told that there is a special program for people of their nationality or that they can apply for a work permit and then proceed to permanent residence. Having arrived in Canada and found that the information is false, they are often in a much worse situation than before they came to Canada. [See notice warning against false information]

Many refugee assistance organizations in Canada and the U.S. are working hard to ensure that people have accurate information about Canada’s refugee programs. Unfortunately, they are now feeling threatened by the Canadian government, which has sent a strong message of intimidation by arresting a representative of such an organization, Janet Hinshaw Thomas, and charging her with “aiding and abetting” refugees. [See release] Meanwhile, people known to be taking money in exchange for false information about Canada’s programs are not facing prosecution.

There is a growing backlog of claims in the refugee determination system because of a longstanding failure by the Canadian government to appoint sufficient Board members to make decisions. The Immigration and Refugee Board is short more than a third of its members. The backlog not only causes hardship for refugees who must wait years to receive protection, but also acts as an incentive for people to make a claim in Canada, even if they expect that their claim will eventually be refused. [See release]

U.S. policies and practices have an impact on claims made in Canada. Although the Canadian government has designated the U.S. as a “safe country” for refugees, many refugees are not in fact safe in the U.S. The failure of the U.S. to provide asylum to many refugees who need it leads some refugees to turn to Canada for protection. Similarly, the failure of the U.S. to address the problem of its undocumented population leads some to grasp at promises of something better in Canada. In late 2002 and early 2003, the U.S. Special Registration program (NSEERS), which targeted males from mostly Muslim countries, led to a significant increase in claims in Canada from nationals of those countries. Some claimants arriving in Canada have U.S. citizen children, but feel they have no prospect of achieving status in the U.S. Some report having fled to Canada because of rumours that they would be deported and their children taken away from them.

Since December 2004, the U.S. has been designated by Canada as a safe third country for refugees. This means that most asylum seekers are ineligible to make a claim at the U.S.-Canada land border. If they attempt to do so, they are immediately returned to the U.S. where they may be detained. This has been the fate of some of the people given wrong information about Canada’s programs. There are some exceptions to the safe third country rule, including for Mexicans and Haitians. [See FAQs]

Like all other countries, Canada has international human rights obligations towards refugees. Canada must not, directly or indirectly, send a refugee to face persecution or torture. In order to comply with this obligation, Canada must make an individual determination of whether a person claiming refugee status would face persecution or torture before removing the person.

Refugee claimants in Canada are eligible for basic social assistance and emergency health care. This is a matter of basic human dignity: no one wants to see people starving or bleeding to death on the streets. However, under current law, refugee claimants are entitled to only the bare minimum: they do not, for example, receive full health coverage or child tax benefits. Many claimants do not want to rely on social assistance and find work as soon as they can. They pay taxes, which go towards services for Canadians to which they themselves are not entitled.

Refugees are persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Refugee claimants are persons who are asking for protection: they may or may not be refugees. A refugee claimant is not an “illegal immigrant”, a term that is in any case demeaning as it transfers the illegality to the person and no one is illegal. There is no such category as “economic refugee”. [See glossary]

http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/static-files/documents/claimsfacts07.htm

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153400836156886&set=p.10153400836156886&type=1&theater

Global News

Program to pay failed refugee claimants up to $2k to go home getting lots of takers

By Steve Mertl

National Affairs Contributor

By Steve Mertl | Daily Brew – Tue, 6 Aug, 2013

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/program-pay-failed-refugee-claimants-2k-home-getting-193146167.html

Immigrants cost $23B a year: Fraser Institute report

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/immigrants-cost-23b-a-year-fraser-institute-report

1. [PDF]

You asked for it - Canadian Taxpayers Federation

https://www.taxpayer.com/.../Refugee_Benefits(You_Asked%20For%20It_).pdf - Cached - Similar

is: Does a refugee collect more in benefits and ... could receive $2,470 per month, much high- ... Start-Up Costs ... $150 for each additional family member.

1. ]

FINAL REPORT Refugee Research Synthesis 2009 - 2013 - ceris

ceris.ca/.../CERIS-Research-Synthesis-on-Refugees-19-May-2015.pdf - Cached

Huge costs of government bill highlighted

In 1993, a change in Canadian law required accepted refugees to provide satisfactory identity documents in order to be granted permanent residence. Many Somali and Afghan refugees could not provide satisfactory identity documents, because of the lack of a functioning government in their country of origin. By 1996, the government estimated that approximately 7,500 Somali and Afghan refugees were in limbo. In 1997, the government introduced the Undocumented Convention Refugees in Canada Class that allowed these refugees to be granted permanent residence following a 5-year wait, during which time they could not reunite with family members and could not travel outside Canada. In 2000, the government agreed to a legal settlement, which allowed refugees to become permanent residents without waiting 5 years in limbo. The terms of the agreement were written into the 2002 regulations (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 178).

For more information, see Caledon Institute, What’s In A Name: Identity Documents and Convention Refugees, 1999, http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/whats.pdf

For UNHCR opinion: Opinion, The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Obligations of States under Articles 25, 27 and 28, with particular reference to refugees without identity or travel documents, May 2000, by Guy S. Goodwin-Gill, Professor of International Refugee Law

---------------------

Background on the limbo policy affecting Somalis and Afghans in the 1990s

For more information, see Caledon Institute, What’s In A Name: Identity Documents and Convention Refugees, 1999, http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/whats.pdf

---------------------

CANADA

Refugees

As a refugee, you may be able to access government programs to help you settle in Canada. Learn about the refugee process and services available for refugees.

· Basic Information for Refugees

· After You Arrive

Basic Information for Refugees

After You Arrive

What assistance can refugees get in Canada?

The Canadian government has several programs to help refugees resettle in Canada.

I am a government sponsored refugee. Can I get help with housing when I arrive?

If you are a government-sponsored refugee who lands by air in Toronto, Immigrant Reception and Information Services (IRIS) will meet you at the airport.

How does divorce affect my immigration status?

Generally, you do not lose your immigration status because of divorce. You may need to seek legal advice about your specific situation.

How do I repay my travel loan if I am a refugee or protected person?

This article describes how you can pay back your transportation or admissibility loan from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) if you are a refugee or protected person.

How can I get travel documents if I am a protected person in Canada?

Passport Canada issues refugee travel documents and certificates of identity to protected persons in Canada. This is the case whether you are stateless or if you have citizenship from another country.

I am a refugee claimant. Can I work?

As a refugee claimant, you need a work permit and a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to work in Canada.

See more Go Up

· In My Language

· Settlement AtWork

· NewYouth.ca

· About This Site

· Contact Us

· Partner With Us

· Etablissement.Org

http://settlement.org/ontario/immigration-citizenship/refugees/#REF_AFTER

---

How does Canada's refugee system work?

Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who face persecution in their home country or the country where they normally live, or who would face persecution if they returned to that country.

You can make a refugee claim within Canada when you arrive by land, sea or air.

You can make a refugee claim outside of Canada, if you are sponsored by the government or a private group.

The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) makes decisions about refugee claims. They decide if you are a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection.

A Convention refugee is someone with a well-founded fear of persecution based on:

· Race;

· Religion;

· Political opinion;

· Nationality; or

· Membership in a particular social group (such as, women or people of a particular sexual orientation).

A person in need of protection is someone who faces the following dangers if they returned to their home country or country where they normally live:

· A danger of torture;

· A risk to their life; or

· A risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

Refugee Claims Within Canada

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) decides if you are eligible to make a refugee claim in Canada. If you are determined "not eligible," you may have other options.

For more information on making a claim from within Canada you can read How is a refugee claim decision made?

Refugee Claims Outside of Canada

Since November 5, 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has not been accepting new applications for the Source Country Class. Find out more information about this change on CIC's website.

People who are sponsored by the government or by a private group to come to Canada are called resettled refugees. People in this category are granted permanent residency (landed status) when they arrive in Canada. The 2 classes of resettled refugees are:

· Convention Refugees Abroad Class

· Country of Asylum Class

Also, some refugees apply for resettlement in Canada by contacting a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office or a Canadian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. Find out more about how to sponsor a refugee.

Your Rights

Refugee claimants, Convention refugees and persons in need of protection have certain rights and may be able to access services, such as health care and education. You may also be able to appeal the decision, if your refugee claim was denied. You can get help from a community legal clinic or a settlement agency.

To find help in your area, go to Services Near Me.

For More Information

· Canada's Refugee System - Information from Citizenship and Immigration Canada about how refugees come to Canada and how the system works.

· Immigration and Refugee Board - An independent tribunal that is responsible for hearing refugee claims and appeals.

· Refugee Hearing Preparation: A Guide for Refugee Claimants - This resource provides a simple explanation of what you should do to prepare for your hearing. Although this booklet was written for refugee claimants in Vancouver, most of the information is useful for claimants across Canada. From Kinbrace Community Society.

· Your Refugee Hearing – This website has practical information to help you prepare for a hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board. It also offers an online tour of a hearing room. From CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario).

Last updated: February 23, 2015

· How do I find a lawyer?

· Can I apply for refugee status as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) person?

· Detention Review Hearings

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Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

S.C. 2001, c. 27

Assented to 2001-11-01

An Act respecting immigration to Canada and the granting of refugee protection to persons who are displaced, persecuted or in danger

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

Marginal note:Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

INTERPRETATION

Marginal note:Definitions

2. (1) The definitions in this subsection apply in this Act.

“Board”

« Commission »

“Board” means the Immigration and Refugee Board, which consists of the Refugee Protection Division, Refugee Appeal Division, Immigration Division and Immigration Appeal Division.

“Convention Against Torture”

« Convention contre la torture »

“Convention Against Torture” means the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, signed at New York on December 10, 1984. Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture is set out in the schedule.

“designated foreign national”

« étranger désigné »

“designated foreign national” has the meaning assigned by subsection 20.1(2).

“foreign national”

« étranger »

“foreign national” means a person who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, and includes a stateless person.

“permanent resident”

« résident permanent »

“permanent resident” means a person who has acquired permanent resident status and has not subsequently lost that status under section 46.

“Refugee Convention”

« Convention sur les réfugiés »

“Refugee Convention” means the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, signed at Geneva on July 28, 1951, and the Protocol to that Convention, signed at New York on January 31, 1967. Sections E and F of Article 1 of the Refugee Convention are set out in the schedule.

Marginal note:Act includes regulations and instructions

(2) Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Act to “this Act” include regulations made under it and instructions given under subsection 14.1(1).

2001, c. 27, s. 2;

2012, c. 17, s. 2, c. 19, s. 700.

Previous Version

OBJECTIVES AND APPLICATION

Marginal note:Objectives — immigration

3. (1) The objectives of this Act with respect to immigration are

o (a) to permit Canada to pursue the maximum social, cultural and economic benefits of immigration;

o (b) to enrich and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of Canadian society, while respecting the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada;

o (b.1) to support and assist the development of minority official languages communities in Canada;

o (c) to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions of Canada;

o (d) to see that families are reunited in Canada;

o (e) to promote the successful integration of permanent residents into Canada, while recognizing that integration involves mutual obligations for new immigrants and Canadian society;

o (f) to support, by means of consistent standards and prompt processing, the attainment of immigration goals established by the Government of Canada in consultation with the provinces;

o (g) to facilitate the entry of visitors, students and temporary workers for purposes such as trade, commerce, tourism, international understanding and cultural, educational and scientific activities;

o (h) to protect public health and safety and to maintain the security of Canadian society;

o (i) to promote international justice and security by fostering respect for human rights and by denying access to Canadian territory to persons who are criminals or security risks; and

o (j) to work in cooperation with the provinces to secure better recognition of the foreign credentials of permanent residents and their more rapid integration into society.

Marginal note:Objectives — refugees

(2) The objectives of this Act with respect to refugees are

o (a) to recognize that the refugee program is in the first instance about saving lives and offering protection to the displaced and persecuted;

o (b) to fulfil Canada’s international legal obligations with respect to refugees and affirm Canada’s commitment to international efforts to provide assistance to those in need of resettlement;

o (c) to grant, as a fundamental expression of Canada’s humanitarian ideals, fair consideration to those who come to Canada claiming persecution;

o (d) to offer safe haven to persons with a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, as well as those at risk of torture or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment;

o (e) to establish fair and efficient procedures that will maintain the integrity of the Canadian refugee protection system, while upholding Canada’s respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings;

o (f) to support the self-sufficiency and the social and economic well-being of refugees by facilitating reunification with their family members in Canada;

o (g) to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to maintain the security of Canadian society; and

o (h) to promote international justice and security by denying access to Canadian territory to persons, including refugee claimants, who are security risks or serious criminals.

Marginal note:Application

(3) This Act is to be construed and applied in a manner that

o (a) furthers the domestic and international interests of Canada;

o (b) promotes accountability and transparency by enhancing public awareness of immigration and refugee programs;

o (c) facilitates cooperation between the Government of Canada, provincial governments, foreign states, international organizations and non-governmental organizations;

o (d) ensures that decisions taken under this Act are consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including its principles of equality and freedom from discrimination and of the equality of English and French as the official languages of Canada;

o (e) supports the commitment of the Government of Canada to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada; and

o (f) complies with international human rights instruments to which Canada is signatory.

2001, c. 27, s. 3;

2012, c. 1, s. 205.

Previous Version

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

o 1 - SHORT TITLE

o 2 - INTERPRETATION

o 3 - OBJECTIVES AND APPLICATION

o 4 - ENABLING AUTHORITY

o 7 - AGREEMENTS

o 10.1 - PART 1 - IMMIGRATION TO CANADA

§ 10.1 - Division 0.1 - Invitation to Make an Application

§ 11 - Division 1 - Requirements and Selection

§ 11 - Requirements

§ 12 - Selection of Permanent Residents

§ 13 - Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals

§ 13.1 - Undertakings

§ 14 - Regulations

§ 14.1 - Minister’s Instructions

§ 15 - Division 2 - Examination

§ 18 - Division 3 - Entering and Remaining in Canada

§ 18 - Entering and Remaining

§ 21 - Status and Authorization to Enter

§ 27 - Rights and Obligations of Permanent and Temporary Residents

§ 31 - Status Document

§ 31.1 - Refugee Travel Document

§ 32 - Regulations

§ 33 - Division 4 - Inadmissibility

§ 44 - Division 5 - Loss of Status and Removal

§ 44 - Report on Inadmissibility

§ 45 - Admissibility Hearing by the Immigration Division

§ 46 - Loss of Status

§ 48 - Enforcement of Removal Orders

§ 53 - Regulations

§ 54 - Division 6 - Detention and Release

§ 62 - Division 7 - Right of Appeal

§ 72 - Division 8 - Judicial Review

§ 76 - Division 9 - Certificates and Protection of Information

§ 76 - Interpretation

§ 77 - Certificate

§ 81 - Detention and Release

§ 83 - Protection of Information

§ 85 - Special Advocate

§ 86 - Other Proceedings

§ 87.2 - Regulations

§ 87.3 - Division 10 - General Provisions

§ 87.3 - Instructions on Processing Applications and Requests

§ 87.4 - Federal Skilled Workers

§ 87.5 - Federal Investor and Entrepreneur Classes

§ 88 - Loans

§ 89 - Fees

§ 90 - Social Insurance Numbers

§ 91 - Representation or Advice

§ 92 - Material Incorporated in Regulations

§ 94 - Report to Parliament

o 95 - PART 2 - REFUGEE PROTECTION

§ 95 - Division 1 - Refugee Protection, Convention Refugees and Persons in Need of Protection

§ 99 - Division 2 - Convention Refugees and Persons in Need of Protection

§ 99 - Claim for Refugee Protection

§ 100 - Examination of Eligibility to Refer Claim

§ 103 - Suspension or Termination of Consideration of Claim

§ 105 - Extradition Procedure

§ 106 - Claimant Without Identification

§ 107 - Decision on Claim for Refugee Protection

§ 108 - Cessation of Refugee Protection

§ 109 - Applications to Vacate

§ 109.1 - Designated Countries of Origin

§ 110 - Appeal to Refugee Appeal Division

§ 111.1 - Regulations

§ 112 - Division 3 - Pre-removal Risk Assessment

§ 112 - Protection

§ 115 - Principle of Non-refoulement

o 117 - PART 3 - ENFORCEMENT

§ 117 - Human Smuggling and Trafficking

§ 122 - Offences Related to Documents

§ 124 - General Offences

§ 133 - Prosecution of Offences

§ 137 - Forfeiture

§ 138 - Officers Authorized to Enforce Act

§ 142 - Peace Officers

§ 144 - Ticketable Offences

§ 145 - Debt Due to Her Majesty

§ 146 - Collection of Debts Due to Her Majesty

§ 148 - Transportation Companies

§ 150.1 - Sharing of Information

o 151 - PART 4 - IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD

§ 151 - Composition of Board

§ 157 - Head Office and Staff

§ 159 - Duties of Chairperson

§ 161 - Functioning of Board

§ 162 - Provisions that Apply to All Divisions

§ 169.1 - Refugee Protection Division

§ 171 - Refugee Appeal Division

§ 172 - Immigration Division

§ 174 - Immigration Appeal Division

§ 176 - Remedial and Disciplinary Measures

o 187 - PART 5 - TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS, CONSEQUENTIAL AND RELATED AMENDMENTS, COORDINATING AMENDMENTS, REPEALS AND COMING INTO FORCE

§ 187 - Transitional Provisions

§ 202 - Consequential and Related Amendments

§ 202 - Access to Information Act

§ 203 - Agricultural Marketing Programs Act

§ 204. and 205 - Animal Pedigree Act

§ 206 - Bank Act

§ 207 - Budget Implementation Act, 1998

§ 208 - Business Development Bank of Canada Act

§ 209 - Canada Business Corporations Act

§ 210 - Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Act

§ 211. to 214 - Canada Elections Act

§ 215 - Canada Labour Code

§ 216. to 218 - Canada Shipping Act

§ 219 - Canada Student Financial Assistance Act

§ 220 - Canada Student Loans Act

§ 221. and 222 - Canada Transportation Act

§ 223. to 226 - Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act

§ 227 - Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act

§ 227.1 to 232 - Citizenship Act

§ 233 - Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Implementation Act

§ 234 - Cooperative Credit Associations Act

§ 235. to 241 - Copyright Act

§ 242. and 243 - Corrections and Conditional Release Act

§ 244 - Criminal Code

§ 248. and 249 - Emergencies Act

§ 250. to 252 - Extradition Act

§ 253 - Foreign Publishers Advertising Services Act

§ 254 - Income Tax Act

§ 255 - Insurance Companies Act

§ 256. to 258 - International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development Act

§ 259 - Investment Canada Act

§ 260 - Labour Adjustment Benefits Act

§ 261 - Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act

§ 262 - National Energy Board Act

§ 263. to 267 - Old Age Security Act

§ 268 - Pilotage Act

§ 269 - Privacy Act

§ 270 - Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act

§ 271 - Trade-marks Act

§ 272 - Trust and Loan Companies Act

§ 273 - Terminology

§ 273.1 - Coordinating Amendments

§ 274 - Repeals

§ 275 - Coming Into Force

o SCHEDULE

Date modified:

2015-06-04

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Immigration Status

Follow this page!

Quick Facts

Concepts, Skills and Terminology

How to Learn More

Find Services

Newcomers enter Canada through various immigration programs, as refugees, temporary residents or without any legal status at all. Settlement workers need to have a basic understanding of the different immigration statuses their clients fall under in order to serve them effectively.

Quick Facts

Contents

· Immigration Status

o Quick Facts

§ Immigration Status

o Concepts, Skills & Terminology

§ Terminology

§ (Immigration) Status

§ Permanent Residency

§ Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA)

§ Relevant Government Agencies

§ Recent Trends

§ Immigration Programs and Acronyms

§ Economic

§ Family Class

§ Humanitarian

§ Temporary Residents

§ Skills

o How to Learn More

§ Best Practices/Practical Guides

§ Courses/Training

§ Related Projects/Initiatives

§ Further Reading

o Find Services

Immigration Status

In order to fully participate in Canadian society, it is necessary to have legal immigration status in Canada. The status one has in the country, for example if they are a permanent resident or are on a temporary visa, determines their rights and responsibilities in Canada. In the settlement sector, a client's immigration status often defines which services are available to them.

Below is an overview of key facts regarding immigration status in Canada:

· In 2011 Canada admitted 248,748 immigrants to Canada and 190,842 temporary residents - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· In 2011, 181,286 people became Canadian citizens - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· Most immigration programs are decided at the federal level by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· Many settlement agencies can only serve individuals who have Permanent Residency, or are in the process of becoming Permanent Residents. Funding for refugee claimants, international students, temporary foreign workers or foreign nationals without status can be more limited - Alboim and Cohl

· In 2011, 11.5% of newcomers arrived as refugees - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· There have been significant changes to Canada's immigration system in recent years including new immigration classes, changes to citizenship requirements and modifications to the refugee determination process - Alboim and Cohl

· The number of temporary residents admitted to Canada has increased dramatically in recent years - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· It is estimated that there are between 20,000 and 500,000 people without any legal status in Canada - Goldring et. al

Concepts, Skills & Terminology

Discover important concepts, definitions and terms relating to mental health in the settlement sector.

Terminology

(Immigration) Status

Immigration status, commonly referred to simply as “status” refers to how one is (il)legally in Canada. Status is extremely important for newcomers to Canada as it determines which services they have access to and their rights in Canada.

Permanent Residency

A Permanent Resident (PR) is a citizen of another country who lives in Canada on a regular basis but is not yet a Canadian citizen. Individuals with temporary work, visitor or study permits are not permanent residents - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA)

IRPA is the primary legislation concerning immigration in Canada. Implemented in 2002, it outlines the goals and restrictions of Canada's immigration system. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) carry out their activities in accordance to this act - Department of Justice

Relevant Government Agencies

· Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

· Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)

· Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI)

· Passport Canada

Recent Trends

Citizenship attainment

Once newcomers gain citizenship, they have full rights and responsibilities in Canada. Therefore, this is a goal of most immigrants to Canada. However, there have been several changes in recent years to citizenship requirements. A more thorough citizenship exam was introduced in 2010 and language requirements were introduced in 2012. It is possible that these changes may decrease the number of permanent residents achieving citizenship - Alboim and Cohl

Temporary to permanent pathways

Although most immigrants apply directly to live in Canada permanently, a growing number of immigrants enter Canada as temporary residents. For example, many international students or temporary foreign workers can now apply to become permanent residents through the Canadian Experience Class stream. Additionally, Live-in Caregivers may be able to apply for permanent residency after completing the requirements of the program.

Temporary foreign workers

The number of temporary residents has increased significantly in recent years. In fact, more temporary foreign workers now enter Canada than economic immigrants who achieve permanent residency - Faraday. Many work permits for temporary foreign workers are tied to one employer. These individuals generally do not have access to settlement services and access to other social services is limited.

Significant immigration changes

Recently there have been many changes to Canada’s immigration system. These changes include the creation of new immigration programs, significant modifications to current programs and an overhaul of the refugee determination system. Since 2008 these changes have occurred at an unprecedented speed - Alboim and Cohl

People without status

It is unclear how many people are living in Canada without legal immigration status, however, estimates range from 20,000 to 500,000 - Goldring et. al. Most people in Canada without status enter through a legal pathway such as a visitor permit, temporary work permit or as a refugee claimant and stay in Canada beyond the expiration of their permit - City of Toronto. People without status in Canada are extremely vulnerable as they have limited access to healthcare, settlement social assistance and legal services - OCASI - Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants.

Immigration Programs and Acronyms

Most newcomers to Canada arrive through one of the programs within the government's immigration streams: economic, family class or humanitarian. In addition to Canada's immigration programs, many newcomers enter the country as temporary residents. Below are some examples of popular immigration and temporary residency programs. However, please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

Economic

· Business Class

· Canadian Experience Class

· Express Entry

· Express Entry at a Glance Infographic - 2015 - Conference Board of Canada

· Federal Skilled Worker

· Provincial Nominee Program

· Skilled trades

· Start-up visa

Family Class

· Family Class

Humanitarian

· Refugees

Temporary Residents

· International students

· Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)

· Low-skill pilot project

· Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)

Skills

Although it is important to understand how newcomers are affected by their immigration status, the details of this subject can be very complex. In many cases settlement workers may wish to consult with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for clarification on these issues. In some cases, an immigration consultant or lawyer may also be necessary.

How to Learn More

Featured Resource! Access to Services Without Fear Immigration Campaign: Toronto Community Services Guide

Further your knowledge with practical guides, best practices, projects and research.

Find out how to become qualified to work in the field through online or classroom-based training.

Best Practices/Practical Guides

Citizenship

· Citizenship - What you need to know (Recorded webinar) - Neighbourhood Legal Services - 2014

· Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, CIC

· How to become a Canadian Citizen - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website

· How to obtain proof of Canadian citizenship - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website

People Without Status

· All Children Can Go to School, Regardless of Immigration Status, Settlement.Org

· Know Your Rights: Action Guide for Fair Employment

· Toronto Community Services Resource Guide (Access to Services Without Fear Campaign)

· Undocumented Workers: Your Rights at Work (Factsheet)

Permanent Residency

· Criminal Charges in Canada and Your Immigration Status, Settlement.Org

· How does divorce affect my immigration status? Settlement.Org

· How to get a permanent resident card, CIC

· Understanding Permanent Resident Status, CIC

Sponsorship

· Do you want to sponsor your family to join you in Canada? CLEO

· Sponsorship Breakdown, Settlement.Org

Temporary Foreign Workers

· Temporary foreign workers - Your rights are protected, CIC

Courses/Training

· Immigration Education Alliance seminars

· OCASI Changes to General Immigration Policy webinar

· OCASI Professional Education and Training (PET)

· Your Legal Rights Immigration and Refugee Law webinars

Related Projects/Initiatives

· Citizenship Now, SUCCESS

· OCASI Youth and Citizenship Project

Further Reading

· Accessing Community Programs and Services for Non-Status Immigrants in Toronto: Organizational Challenges and Responses - Social Planning Toronto - 2013

· Federal Court Decisions on Immigration or Refugee Status - CLEO - 2013

· Expanding our Routes to Success: The Final Report by Ontario's Expert Roundtable on Immigration - 2012

· Federal Changes in Immigration and Legislation Policy - City of Toronto - 2013

· Institutionalizing Precarious Immigration Status in Canada - Working Paper - 2007

· Made in Canada: How the Law Constructs Migrant Workers’ Insecurity - 2012

· Policy Without Practice: Barriers to Enrollment for Non-Status Immigrant Students in Toronto's Catholic Schools - 2010

· RCIS (Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement) Conference Videos - 2013

· Shaping the future: Canada’s Rapidly Changing Immigration Policies - Alboim and Cohl - 2012

· The Right to Learn: Access to Public Education for Non-Status Immigrants - 2008

Find Services

· Citizenship and Immigration Canada Help Centre - Citizenship and Immigration Canada Help Centre

· Getting Legal Help: A Directory of Community Legal Clinics in Ontario - Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) - 2014

· Legal Clinics in Ontario Online Searchable Directory of Legal Clinics in Ontario from Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) - 2014

· Resources for Access Without Fear to undocumented immigrants in Toronto - Social Planning Toronto - 2013

· Services Near Me - Settlement.Org services directory

If you want to comment or share a resource with us you can email atwork@ocasi.org or create your own page!

http://wiki.settlementatwork.org/w/index.php/Immigration_Status

Protecting Canada's Asylum System from Abuse

Additions to list of Designated Countries of Origin announced

October 10, 2014 — Ottawa —Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today announced that Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Romania and San Marino will be added to Canada’s list of Designated Countries of Origin (DCOs), effective October 10, 2014.
Canada’s DCO policy helps deter abuse of our generous refugee system by people who come from countries that respect human rights, offer state protection and do not normally produce refugees. The government’s suite of recent immigration reforms ensures that those who genuinely need Canada’s protection get it faster, while those with unfounded asylum claims are sent home more quickly through expedited processing.

Quick facts

With these latest additions, 42 countries now appear on Canada’s DCO list.
Asylum claims from DCO countries have dropped by 88 percent over the previous three years.
With the new asylum system in place, it now takes, on average, three-and-a-half months for the Immigration and Refugee Board to hear a refugee claim, compared to approximately 20 months before the reforms.

Quote

“Canadians can be proud of the fact that Canada has one of the most generous refugee systems in the world. Thanks to our government’s reforms to Canada’s asylum system, we are providing protection quickly to those who are truly in need while protecting our system from abuse. We will continue to welcome legitimate trade and travel with our European partners.”
“DCO designation is reserved for those countries that respect and protect the rights of their citizens. By expediting the processing of DCO claimants, we are ensuring that genuine refugees get protection faster, while those with unfounded claims are sent home more quickly.”
Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

Associated links

Designated Countries of Origin

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/CitImmCanada
Photos of Minister Alexander available at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/index.asp

Contacts

Kevin Menard
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

Search for related information by keyword

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Government and Politics

Date modified:

2014-10-10

Government of Canada activities and initiatives

Access Government of Canada activities and initiatives

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=892139

Backgrounder — Deterring Abuse of the Refugee System

Canada’s generous refugee system delivers help for vulnerable persons who genuinely need it, and does so in a fair, ordered and compassionate manner. In order to ensure the system continues to serve that function, it is important to protect its integrity from those who would abuse Canada’s generosity. There must be consequences and deterrents for such abuse.
The Government of Canada is taking action to stop such abuse of our laws and generosity by bolstering Canada’s ability to revoke the ‘protected person’ status of individuals who arrive, for example, as part of a designated irregular arrival, through both rules of ‘cessation’ and ‘vacation’.

Is there no longer a need for protection?

If an individual who is in the process of claiming refugee status can safely, and of their own initiative, return to the country they purport to be fleeing, then it is an indication that the individual is not dependent on Canada’s protection and may not qualify to be considered a United Nations Convention Refugee. Likewise, an individual who is in the process of applying for refugee status is also not in need of Canada’s protection if conditions sufficiently improve in their country of origin.
In such cases, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism may apply to the Refugee Protection Division at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada for a determination that an individual’s refugee protection has ceased. The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act would ensure that if an individual is subject to a ‘cessation’ application hearing, their application for permanent residence would not be processed until a decision is made on the Minister’s application. If the Refugee Protection Division upholds the Minister’s application for cessation, the individual would be removed from Canada.

Was the protected person status obtained fraudulently?

If an individual has directly or indirectly misrepresented or withheld material facts relevant to their situation, or of the facts surrounding their identity in order to gain the status of a United Nations Convention refugee, then that status was gained fraudulently.
In such cases, the Minister of Public Safety may apply to the Refugee Protection Division to vacate the individual’s refugee protection status. If the original decision is nullified or cancelled, and no other grounds for protection remain, the individual would be removed from Canada.
The new legislation prevents illegal migrants from designated irregular arrivals who become refugees from applying for permanent residence for five years. During this time, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism can make an application for “cessation” or “vacation”, either of which, if successful, would result in the individual being removed from Canada.
The proposed amendments would also eliminate access to the Refugee Appeal Division for people who want to appeal a revocation of ‘protected person’ status decision, including those who arrive as part of a designated irregular arrival. They would, however, be able to ask the Federal Court to review a revocation decision.

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Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/discover.pdf

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THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CANADA

Table of Contents Summary……………………………………………………..………………………….1 1. Introduction……………………….………………………………………...……….3 2. 1942 to 1962: Civil Liberties in Canada………………………...…………..…..…7 3. 1962 to 1974: Origins of Canada’s Human Rights Revolution…………………..16 4. 1974 to 1984: The Human Rights Revolution………………………….…………21 5. 1984 to 1998: Contesting Human Rights…………………………..………...……35 6. 1998 to 2011: Emerging Challenges……….………………………………………41 7. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..…51 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………..54 Sources Cited……………………………………………………………………………57 Notes…………………………………………………………………………………..…65

http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/sites/default/files/ehrc_edpc-eng.pdf

1. Protecting Our Children From Abuse and Neglect

www.apa.org › … › Publications and Resources

Understanding why adults abuse children, examples of physical and sexual child abuse and neglect, ... Protecting Our Children From Abuse and Neglect.

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1. Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act

laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/AnnualStatutes/2012_17/page-1.html

2015-06-04 · Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act. ... if they have made a claim for refugee protection but have not made an application for protection, ...

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2. Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act introduced ...

canadianimmigrant.ca/slider/protecting-canadas-immigration-system...

2012-02-23 · ... Protecting Canada's ... Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act introduced. ... 23 percent of all refugee claims made in Canada were ...

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BLOGSPOT:

CANADA MILITARY NEWS- April 6/15 Hey Canadians lets hug our troops close and just make Canada great- USA CHINA IMF OWN WORLD ECONOMY… so let’s just make our Nature’s last home on this planet, our Canada, totally self-sufficient like our forefathers/mothers did

http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2015/04/canada-military-news-2015-love-our.html

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Việtnamese Association of Nova Scotia

Announcements

May5/12 - Please attend our meeting on Sunday May 13 from 2-4pm at St Andrew's Community Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax. Help us plan our summer events and future project goals. All are welcome!
Apr06/12 -

Nhân ngày Đản Sinh của Đức Từ Phụ Thích Ca Mâu Ni, chúng tôi trân trọng kính mời quý Phật tử, quý thân hữu, quý đồng hương không phân biệt tôn giáo, đến tham dự Đại Lễ Phật Đản Phật lịch 2636 được tổ chức tại:

St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax
Chủ nhật, ngày 6 tháng 5 năm 2012 vào lúc 10:00 sáng (nhằm ngày mồng 16 tháng 4 năm Nhâm Thìn)
Chương Trình:
10:00 am : Phật tử tề tựu
10.15 : Nghi thức Đại Lễ Phật Đản:
- cúng ngọ
- cúng tiến chư hương linh (ông bà cha mẹ người thân đã quá vãng)
11.00 : Tắm Phật
11.45 : Pháp Thoại
12.30 pm : Thọ Trai
2:00 : Cúng Thí Thực
3:00 : hoàn mãn

Mọi chi tiết xin liên lạc, anh Phải 902-422-4403, anh Thiệt 902-830-1123, anh Siêu 902-880-8383. Thành tâm kính mời!

Jan18/12 -

Kính mời Quý Đạo Hữu và đồng bào đến tham dự Đại lễ Rằm Tháng Giêng để cầu an, cầu phúc đầu năm. Đại lễ sẽ được tổ chức vào Mồng 5 tháng Giêng âm lịch (Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012) do thầy Huệ Quang làm lễ đến từ Ottawa tại St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax vào lúc 10 giờ sáng. Mọi chi tiết xin liên lạc, anh Phải 902-422-4403, anh Thiệt 902-830-1123, anh Siêu 902-880-8383. Thành tâm kính mời!
Jan12/12 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/tet2012thumb.jpg

Trân trọng kính mời tất cả Quý Đồng Hương đến tham dự buổi họp mặt mừng Xuân Nhâm Thìn 2012. Chương trình mừng Xuân gồm những tiết mục hấp dẫn như: múa lân, thi đấu karaoke, lì xì cho các trẻ em, xổ số lấy hên đầu năm, và các trò chơi khác đặc biệt của Tết. Hội Người Việt sẽ có bán các món ăn có hương vị Tết Cổ Truyền để cho các Quý Vị thưởng thức.
Everyone is invited to join us in welcoming the Year of The Dragon. There will be dragon dance, karaoke competion, prizes and exciting games for all ages. Foods and drinks will be provided by the Association for a small charge. It will be a fun time so bring your family and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us.
Please click here for more info.
Dec11/11 -

Christmas Potluck Sunday, December 18th from 5-8pm at St Andrew's Community Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane, Halifax. Come enjoy an evening of food with friends and family for Christmas! This event will also serve as a way of the Vietnamese Association of NS to generate ideas for the up coming New Years celebrations.
Oct01/11 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/Gala2011_PosterSm.jpg

The Vietnamese Association of Nova Scotia cordially invites you to join us for an unforgettable night of cultural performances, ethnic foods, and special guests MC Thuy Duong of Asia Entertainment and singers Dan Nguyen and Phuong Lien. This event aims to raise awareness and funds to build the Vietnamese Boat People Museum in Ottawa.
Please click here for more info.
Sep14/11 - retreat

We would like to thank everyone that came out to our family retreat. A special thank you to all the ladies in the kitchen for making us the delicious meals and all the volunteers, especially those that helped with dishes and clean-up. Here are some photos of the event.
Sep08/11 -

Kính mời quý Phật tử sắp xếp thời gian để tham dự khoa tu trên ngõ hầu thăng tiến tâm linh, đem lại sự an lạc trong đời sống và tương lai đồng sanh về tịnh độ tại St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax vào ngày Chủ Nhật, ngày 10 tháng 09 năm 2011. Chương trình TU HỌC PHẬT PHÁP do Đại Đức Thích Trí Thắng hướng dẫn và được sắp đặt như sau,

10:30 Quý Phật tử vân tập
11:00 Tụng Kinh bái sám
12:00 Chư Phật tử Ngọ Trai
13:00 Chia sẻ kinh nghiệm tu học
14:30 Tụng Kinh niệm Phật – Thí thực chư âm linh cô hồn
16:00 Hoàn mãn
Mọi sự liên lạc xin gọi anh Siêu 902-880-8383. Thành tâm kính mời!

Aug18/11 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/CampMush2011_sm.jpg

Hội Người Việt Nova Scotia sẻ có tổ chức một Trại Hè Gia Đình 2011 vào ngày 3-5, tháng 9, 2011(Labour Day Weekend). Xin bấm vào Poster để biết thêm chi tiết. Xin mời Quý Đồng Hương tham gia đông đủ!
Hướng đi từ Halifax,
- Take HWY 103W toward South Shore/Peggy's Cove (drive for about 1 hour)
- Take EXIT 11 and turn RIGHT toward New Cornwall (drive for 11km)
- Turn LEFT at the Camp Mush-a-Mush sign
Xin bấm vào đây để xem Bản Đồ - Map
Aug17/11 - Thông Báo Bầu Cử

Hội Người Việt Nova Scotia sẽ tổ chức một cuộc bầu cử Ban Chấp Hành mới tại St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax, từ 2-4 giờ chiều, vào ngày Chủ Nhật, 28 Tháng 8, 2011, cho các viên chức sau đây:

Chủ Tịch – President
Phó Chủ Tịch – Vice President
Thủ Quỷ - Treasurer
Thơ Ký – Secretary
(Nhiệm kỳ 2011-2013)

Để có một cộng đồng vững mạnh, vẻ vang truyền thống dân tộc Việt và là niềm tự hào chung cho thế hệ con cháu chúng ta trong tương lai, chúng tôi trân trọng kính mời quý đồng hương tiếp tay mời gọi và đề cử các ứng cử viên xứng đáng, đồng thời bớt chút thời gian để đi bầu trong ngày 1 tháng 5 thật đông đảo. Tổ chức bầu cử có được thành công là nhờ vào sự đóng góp và tiếp tay của tất cả mọi người. Xin giúp phổ biến rộng rãi và mời gọi mọi người đến cùng tham dự đông đủ.

Aug09/11 -

Hội Người Việt Nova Scotia xin trân trọng kính mời tất cả đồng bào đến tham dự Đại lễ Vu Lan Báo hiếu Phật lịch 2555 vào ngày rằm tháng 7 âm lịch năm Tân Mão nhằm ngày 14 tháng 8 năm 2011. Tại St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax. Chương trình được sắp đặt như sau,

10:00am - Phật tử tề tựu tại đạo tràng
11:00am - Cúng ngọ
12:00pm - Thuyết pháp
12:30pm - Phật tử thọ trai
1:30pm - Lễ chính thức : cúng tiến chư hương linh
2:30pm - Lễ bông hồng cài áo
3:30pm - Lễ cúng thí thực cô hồn

Mọi sự liên lạc xin gọi anh Siêu 902-880-8383. Thành tâm kính mời!

Jun19/11 -

Hội Người Việt sẻ có tổ chức một buổi lể đọc kinh cầu nguyện cho Ông bà cha mẹ đã qua đời!! và cầu nguyện an lành cho những người còn lại. Tại St. Andrew's Centre, 3380 Barnstead Lane (6955 Bayers Road), Halifax, 11 giờ sáng, vào ngày Chủ Nhật, 26 Tháng 6, 2011. Kính mời các Phật tử đến tham dự. Xin hãy ghi tên Ông bà hay cha mẹ đã qua đời, tên họ và ngày sinh cùng ngày tử và đem theo một món đồ chay. Mọi sự liên lạc xin gọi anh Siêu 902-880-8383. Thành tâm kính mời!
Jan19/11 - Trân trọng kính mời tất cả đồng bào đến tham rat

dự buổi họp mặt mừng Xuân Tân Mão 2011. Chương trình mừng Xuân gồm những tiết mục hấp dẫn như: múa lân,văn nghệ nhạc sống, lì xì, karaoke, xổ số, và các trò chơi đặc biệt Hội Người Việt sẽ có bán những thức ăn truyền thống Việt Nam để chúng ta cùng chung vui đêm mừng Xuân Tân Mão.

St. Andrew's Community Recreation Center
6955 Bayers Road, Halifax, NS
5 pm, Sunday, February 6, 2011

Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating the Lunar New Year on February 6th. There will be live music and cultural performances, dragon dance, prizes and exciting games. Foods and drinks will be provided by the Association for a small charge. It will be a fun time so bring your family and celebrate the New Year with us.

Jan9/11 - Vietnamese Language Class will resume on Sunday, January 16th from 2-4pm at St Andrew's Community Centre. Please contact us for more information.

Oct13/10 -

Xin mời tất cả các bạn hâm mộ bóng đá đến để cổ vũ và hoan hô cho đội của mình, giữa đội tuyển túc cầu Taxi Halifax và đội tuyển Nail Nova Scotia tại Soccer NS Indoor Facility vào lúc 4pm, Chủ Nhật, ngày 17, tháng 10. Sau trận đấu xin mời các bạn ghé thăm hội trường St. Andrews để chúc mừng đội thắng bằng Pizza và KFC.

Sep26/10 -

Please join us as we round up our 30th anniversary celebration with a

Vietnamese Boat People Exhibition
& Culture Show
Sunday October 10, 2010
Pier 21 - 1055 Marginal Road, Halifax
4pm Exhibition Opening Ceremony - free
6pm Cultural Show - $20 ($25 at the door)
$10 for 6-16 years old

For more information and tickets, contact
Anh Trang 405-0344 or Anh Ha 441-0849.

Sep14/10 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/trung_thu2010thumb.jpg

All are invited to come celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival on Sunday September 19, 2010 at St. Andrews Centre from 5pm to 9pm. Please bring a dish for the potluck supper and your favorite karaoke DVDs for a night of singing and dancing. There will be games, treats, and lanterns for the children, and a lantern procession to end the evening. See you all there!

Sep9/10 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/poster-thumb.jpg

Please join us as we round up our 30th anniversary celebration with a

For more information and tickets, contact
Anh Trang 405-0344 or Anh Ha 441-0849.

Sep05/10 - REMINDER: Vietnamese Language Class resumes on Sunday September 12 from 2pm-4pm at St Andrews Recreation Centre.
Aug20/10 - Join chahanh

Father Hanh (Cha Hanh) for a traditional Catholic mass conducted in Vietnamese. There is a potluck supper after the service so bring your specialty dish and give a warm welcome to Cha Hanh. Everyone welcome! Sep 12 at 11:30am.
Xin mời tất cả đến tham dự buổi Thánh lễ bằng tiếng việt tại nhà thờ ST Clement do Cha Hạnh Trần hướng dẫn. Sau giờ lễ sẽ có một bửa ăn trưa, xin mọi người đêm theo một món ăn để chúng ta cùng chung vui với Cha Hạnh. Nếu ai cần biết thêm chi tiết, xin liên lạc với Chị Kim @ 830-5012. More details here.

Aug4/10 -

We would like to thank everyone that came out to support and walk with us during the Natal Day Parade. A special thank you to "Nguyen Technologies & Electrical Equipment" for providing us with the trucks and building of the float. Here are some photos of the event.

Jul29/10 - natal

Two important and fun events are taking place this Natal Day weekend. Join us for the Family Potluck Picnic at Oakfield on Sunday August 1st. Then put on your cultural outfits and walk with us in the Natal Day Parade on Monday August 2nd.
Jun8/10 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/bolinao-thumb.jpg

Please join us as we continue our 30th anniversary celebration with a free screening of Bolinao 52.

Sunday July 18, 2010
Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum
1055 Marginal Road, Halifax
7pm to 9pm

We had another amazing turnout - thanks to all who shared with us during the discussion.

May16/10 -

We have once again been awarded funding through the Canada Summer Jobs program from Service Canda to hire Summer Student Workers. It is a great way to earn some cash while planning and participating in some fun activities. It's going to be a busy summer, especially with planning for our 30th anniversary events. Apply now - make the most of your summer break! NEW DEADLINE: JUNE 20, 2010.
May9/10 -

An overwhelming 179 people attended our screening of Journey from the Fall. Many thanks to our Vietnamese community members, our church family, our extended family and friends, and interested members of the general public, who came to witness our stories following the fall of Saigon. This event would not have been possible without the support of Pier 21, Citizenship & Immigration Canada and St Mary's University. Click here for photos.
Apr26/10 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/journey-thumb.jpg

Please join us as we kick-off our 30th anniversary celebration with a free screening of Journey from the Fall

Sunday May 9, 2010
Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum
1055 Marginal Road, Halifax
7pm to 9:30pm

Feb22/10 -

We have partnered with Pier 21 Canada's Immigration Museum to Celebrate 30 Years in Canada. We need all your support for this very exciting year of free movies, photo exhibition and cultural gala. Please join us at our first planning meeting. NOTE: THE DATES AND MOVIE TITLES ON THE POSTER ARE TENTATIVE. PLEASE REFER TO OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR UPDATES.
Feb19/10 - Our 30th Lunar New Year Festival was a success! Thanks to all who attended the event and supported us with their kind donations. A special thank you goes out to the organizing committee who worked tirelessly to provide delightful entertainment, delicious food, set-up and clean-up duties, and to Hong's Kitchen and Fong Sing Restaurant for their in-kind support. May you all be blessed with peace, prosperity and good health. Chúc mừng năm mới!
Feb1/10 -

http://www.vietns.ca/img/tet2010thumb.jpg

Lunar New Year is all about food, fun, and family. Join us as we celebrate the
Year of the Tiger on Valentine's Day:

Sunday February 14, 2010
St Andrew's Community Centre
6955 Bayer's Road, Halifax
5pm to 10pm

Jan27/10 - sonpham

All are invited to Son Pham's Farewell reception on Sunday, January 31st from 3:30-5:30pm at Bethany United Church Hall on Joseph Howe near the Armdale Rotary. We met and raised funds for Son in October 2007 and this February he will be making his journey back to Vietnam - just in time for Tet. Click here to read an update and see what Son looks like now.

Jan11/10 - Annual General Meeting on Sunday, January 17th from 2-4pm at St Andrew's Community Centre. All are invited to join in our discussion regarding the Exhibition & Gala at Pier 21. And help us blow out the candles to our 30th anniversary cake!
Jan1/10 -

NEW YEAR POTLUCK - We have rescheduled our potluck to Sunday January 3rd from 2-4pm at St Andrew's Community Centre. Hope to see you there!

Dec20/09 - Due to the weather, the Christmas Party has been CANCELLED. Thanks to those of you who braved the storm and showed up tonight!

Have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones and see you all in the New Year.
Read previous year news...

http://www.vietns.ca/

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· Canada Military News - CANADA: True Patriot Love ...

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May 4, 2015 - Between 1979 and 1991, over 140,000 Vietnamese refugees landed in Canada. Over 40% of them settled in Ontario, but large populations can ...

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God bless Canada's Vietnam Vets- we took in these draft dodgers-CANADA.... WHILST 40,000 ... Posted by nova0000scotia at 10:20 AM ... Blog Archive.

Missing: ~~refugees~~

Can Domestic Abuse Victims Qualify as Refugees?

November 5, 2014 By Maciej Lipinski

Print This Post

A Comment on Matter of A-R-C-G et al

The recently-released decision of the United States’ Board of Immigration Appeals (“the Board”) in the Matter of A-R-C-G et al., (“Matter of A-R-C-G“), 26 I&N Dec. 388 (BIA 2014) may signal the United States’ growing openness to granting asylum to women who flee from domestic abuse. While the decision itself may be considered overdue, its reasoning takes a strong critical stance against nations that do not make reasonable efforts to protect women from violence. This reasoning stands in contrast to the more conservative approach that is usually applied by courts in both the United States and Canada.

If the Board’s reasoning in the Matter of A-R-C-G is adopted by courts in the United States and elsewhere, then the threshold for making successful refugee claims will have shifted significantly in favour of future claimants who flee from abusive relationships in nations that are unwilling or unable to offer adequate protection.

Background

The Matter of A-R-C-G dealt with a Guatemalan woman who had fled from a years-long abusive marriage to seek refugee status in the United States. As in Canada, refugee claimants in the United States must prove three elements in order to be granted asylum on the basis of domestic violence in their home nation. The refugee claimant in this case (“the Claimant”) had fled from Guatemala after experiencing what the Board characterized as “repugnant abuse” at the hands of her husband. The abuse included weekly beatings, throwing paint thinner on her, and rape. The local police had been called following several incidence of this abuse, but had refused to interfere as these acts were considered to have been part of a marital relationship.

Test for Asylum

As in Canada, refugee claimants in the United States must prove three elements in order to be granted asylum on the basis of domestic violence in their home nation. A woman who faces domestic abuse must first prove that she qualifies as a Convention refugee based on: (1) membership in a particular social group; and (2) a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of that membership. Where the persecution is perpetrated by a non-state party (e.g., an abusive spouse), the refugee claimant must also prove (3) the government’s inability or unwillingness to provide protection.

In Canada, claims arising from domestic abuse are often denied because of insufficient proof of the third element. In the United States, however, claimants have often been denied on the basis of the first element since the United States applies a more complex test of what constitutes a particular social group.

Decision

The United States Immigration Court (the “Immigration Court”) determined that the claimant did not qualify as a Convention Refugee. The Immigration Court determined that the domestic abuse suffered by the Claimant in the Matter of A-R-C-G constituted “criminal acts” rather than persecution on the basis of membership in a particular social group. The Immigration Court characterized this abuse as having occurred “arbitrarily” and “without reason,” regardless of the Claimant’s membership in any particular social group.

Because the claimant was thus found not to qualify as a Convention Refugee, the Immigration Court did not address the Guatemalan government’s willingness or ability to protect her.

The De Novo Review

Following an appeal from the decision of the Immigration Court, the Board undertook a de novo review to determine whether “married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship” constituted a particular social group for the purposes of determining Convention Refugee status.

Unlike Canada, the United States requires refugee claimants to overcome numerous evidentiary hurdles in order to establish the existence of a particular social group. While Canada has long recognized women fleeing from abusive relationships as a particular social group, these women nevertheless face significant hurdles to receiving asylum in Canada. These hurdles involve establishing that the group’s members (1) share a common immutable characteristic; (2) are defined with particularity; and (3) are socially distinct in the society in question.

The Board found that each of these requirements was met in the Matter of A-R-C-G. This finding broke new ground in American jurisprudence, as no previous published Board decision had recognized married women facing domestic abuse as a particular social group.

In addition to finding that the claimant fell within a particular social group, the Board also found that the abuse suffered by the claimant had risen to the level of persecution on the basis of her membership in that group. Having thus found that the claimant met the requirements to qualify as a Convention refugee, the Board left it for the Immigration Court to determine whether Guatemala was unwilling or unable to protect the claimant from persecution.

Analysis

While Canada has long recognized women fleeing from abusive relationships as a particular social group, these women nevertheless face significant hurdles to receiving asylum in Canada. … a presumption that foreign States are willing and able to protect their citizens. At present, Canadian courts and tribunals have adopted a high threshold for determining when claimants have satisfied this onus.Canadian courts have adopted less complex tests than the United States for determining the existence of a particular social group, and women who face domestic violence were recognized as a particular social group many years ago in Narvaez v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1995] 2 FCR 55.

Despite having been long-recognized as a particular social group, women escaping domestic violence encounter a significant hurdle in proving their home State’s unwillingness or inability to protect them from an abuser. To satisfy their onus of proof, claimants must advance evidence to rebut a presumption that foreign States are willing and able to protect their citizens.

At present, Canadian courts and tribunals have adopted a high threshold for determining when claimants have satisfied this onus. Even where evidence has shown police unwillingness to interfere in a marital relationship and a lack of specific laws against domestic abuse in the claimant’s nation of origin, claimants have failed to satisfy their onus of proof (see X (Re), 2011 CanLII 99772 (CA IRB), 2012 CanLII 94152 (CA IRB)). Where the onus has been satisfied, there is often an additional source of persecution beyond domestic abuse (see 2011 CanLII 99020 (CA IRB)).

This high threshold was also recently apparent in the case of Jamila Bibi, a 63-year old woman whose refugee claim was denied despite evidence that she would face criminal charges for adultery and a possible honour killing on her return to Pakistan. Ms. Bibi was deported from Canada two weeks ago.

Conclusion

The Board’s decision in the Matter of A-R-C-G lays the groundwork for a more claimant-friendly approach to determining whether foreign States are capable of protecting women who suffer domestic violence. In the course of determining that the claimant qualified as a Convention refugee, the Board’s decision in the Matter of A-R-C-G went further than necessary – venturing to make findings that closely resembled an analysis of Guatemala’s ability to protect married women who face domestic violence.

The Board found special significance in the Guatemalan police’s unwillingness to intervene in an abusive marital relationship, and cited a CBC report to support the Board’s finding that Guatemala has a prevalent culture of “machismo and family violence.” Based on these findings, the Board determined that violence against women in Guatemala was commonplace and the prosecution of such crimes by state authorities was “problematic.”

In Canada, the adoption of a corresponding approach to evidence of State indifference to domestic violence would open important avenues for allowing any individual who flees such violence to make a case for refugee status.

For now, much remains to be decided. If the Immigration Court adopts the Board’s findings to determine that Guatemala is incapable of or unwilling to protect the Claimant, then it will become more open for Canadian courts and immigration tribunals to adopt a similar approach. From there, Canadian courts and tribunals might focus greater scrutiny upon foreign States’ responses to domestic violence while offering more protections to those who suffer such violence.

This article was originally published on September 29, 2014 on the website “The Court” a project of the Osgoode Hall Law School, and is reprinted under a Creative Commons License. (Note: Selection of callouts is ours)

Related Posts

Filed Under: 39-2: Vulnerable Families Tagged With: case law, domestic violence, refugees

About Maciej Lipinski

TheCourt.ca is staffed by editors who are students at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University working under the supervision of a faculty member. Maciej Lipinski is a senior contributing

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Information provided was current as of May 2015.

http://www.lawnow.org/can-domestic-abuse-victims-qualify-refugees/

Practical Resources

· Making a humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application

· Family violence when a woman is sponsored by a spouse or partner

· Humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) applications and refugee claims: how are they different?

· Federal and Provincial Briefing Notes on Violence against Immigrant, Refugee and Non-Status Women

· Forced Marriage - Information and Resources Brochure

· Family Law Issues for Immigrant, Refugee and Non-Status Women

· How You Can Identify and Help Women at Risk of Abuse - Pamphlet

· Violence Against Women and the Law - Manual for Front-line Workers

· Toolkit for Lawyers - Best Practices in Working with Battered Immigrant Women

· Do you know a woman who is being abused? A Legal Rights Handbook

· Mothers without Status: Practical information for service providers working with women who have no legal status

· Leaving an abusive sponsor - Q&A

· Domestic Workers and Live-in Caregivers Experiencing Workplace Sexual Violence and Harassment

· Family Violence against Immigrant & Refugee Women: Community Development Strategies - Resource Manual

· Prevention of Domestic Violence against Immigrant and Refugee Women: Resource Book

· Prevention of Domestic Violence against Immigrant and Refugee Women: Training Manual

Information and Reports

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Violence against women and girls, UQAM International Clinic for the Defense of Human Rights & St Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association

Unprotected, Unrecognized: Canadian Immigration Policy and Violence Against Women, 2008-2013, Migrant Mothers Project

Position Paper on Violence against Women without Immigration Status West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)

Comments on proposed Conditional Permanent Residence period for sponsored spouses Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence against Women and Children (METRAC)

Federal and Provincial briefing notes on Violence against Immigrant, Refugee, and Non-status Women, Ending Violence Association of BC

Single Mothers Without Legal Status in Canada: Caught in the intersection between immigration law and family law YWCA Vancouver

Engaging Immigrant Women in the Legal System - Community Worker Engagement Reports Battered Women's Support Services (BC)

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Backgrounder — Deterring Abuse of the Refugee System

Canada’s generous refugee system delivers protection for vulnerable persons who genuinely need it, and does so in a fair, ordered and compassionate manner. In order to ensure the system continues to serve that function, it is important to protect its integrity from those who would abuse Canada’s generosity. There must be consequences and deterrents for such abuse.
The Government of Canada is taking action to stop such abuse of our laws and generosity by bolstering Canada’s ability to revoke the ‘protected person’ status of individuals who arrive, for example, as part of a designated irregular arrival, through the processes of ‘cessation’ and ‘vacation’.

Is there no longer a need for protection?

Refugee Claimants

If an individual who was granted refugee status can safely, and of their own initiative, return to the country they purport to have fled, it is an indication that the individual does not require Canada’s protection and may no longer qualify to be considered a protected person.

Refugees and Protected Persons

In such cases, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism may apply to the Refugee Protection Division at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada for a determination that an individual’s refugee protection has ceased. The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act ensures that if an individual is the subject of a ‘cessation’ application, their application for permanent residence will not be processed until a decision is made on the Minister’s application. If the Refugee Protection Division grants the Minister’s application for cessation, the individual will lose refugee protection (or protected person status) and may ultimately be removed from Canada.

Was the protected person status obtained fraudulently?

If an individual has directly or indirectly misrepresented or withheld material facts relevant to their situation, or of the facts surrounding their identity in order to gain protected person status, then that status was gained fraudulently.
In such cases, the Minister of Public Safety may apply to the Refugee Protection Division to vacate the individual’s refugee protection status. If the original decision is vacated, the individual will lose refugee protection (i.e., protected person status) and may ultimately be removed from Canada.
The new legislation also prevents irregular arrivals who are determined to be refugees from applying for permanent residence for five years. During this time, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism can, if appropriate, make an application for cessation or vacation, either of which, if successful, will result in the individual being stripped of refugee protection and ultimately may lead to their removal from Canada.
The new measures also eliminate access to the Refugee Appeal Division for individuals who want to appeal a cessation or vacation decision, as well as those who arrive as part of a designated irregular arrival. These individuals will, however, be able to ask the Federal Court to review a cessation or vacation decision.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/backgrounders/2012/2012-06-29g.asp

Canada’s role – Refugees

Canada is recognized around the world for its leadership in offering safe haven to people who need refugee protection.
Refugees bring their experiences, hopes and dreams to Canada to help build an even richer and more prosperous society for us all.
Canada provides protection to those who make refugee protection claims in Canada, resettles refugees from abroad and takes part in international actions to help prevent refugee situations from developing.

Refugee programs

The Canadian refugee system has two main parts: one for people making claims for refugee protection from within Canada, and one for people seeking protection from outside Canada.

History of refugees

Learn about the events that led to our current system for refugees.

Bhutanese refugees

Find out what Canada is doing to help Bhutanese refugees.

Dependant minors

Canada is committed to protecting children from abuse and exploitation. Children who are not in the care of a parent and who come to Canada as refugees may be particularly vulnerable.

Protecting Canada’s Immigration System

Find out what Canada is doing to protect its Immigration System

Embrace Canadian culture

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Find out about multiculturalism in Canada

Date Modified:

2015-03-04

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Refugees

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Protection

Girls particularly face high levels of violence and abuse
Protecting children from violence is a key priority for Plan.
Violence against children has a devastating impact – threatening children's survival, development and participation in society. It is widespread and a fundamental breach of their human rights.
Child protection is central to everything we do and we deliver targeted programs to address specific protection issues – such as child trafficking, corporal punishment in schools, female genital cutting and child marriage.

Global problem

Violence is a global problem and consists of physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect.
Plan was actively involved in the 2006 United Nations Study on Violence Against Children, which estimates that worldwide each year:

40 million children are abused
150 million girls and 73 million boys experience sexual violence
1.8 million children are involved in prostitution and pornography
1.2 million children are victims of trafficking.

The vast majority of violence is carried out by people who are part of children's lives: parents, other family members, neighbours, friends and teachers.
Plan does more than introduce short-term fixes for these problems. Our strength lies in working closely on a long-term basis with children, families and communities – and we focus our efforts against violence in these settings.

We also work with a range of other stakeholders at local, national and international level to influence policies and help children to reach their full potential.

Protecting Canada’s Asylum System from Abuse

Oct 10th, 2014 | By admin | Category: Immigrate, Immigration

Additions to list of Designated Countries of Origin announced

October 10, 2014 — Ottawa —Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today announced that Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Romania and San Marino will be added to Canada’s list of Designated Countries of Origin (DCOs), effective October 10, 2014.

Canada’s DCO policy helps deter abuse of our generous refugee system by people who come from countries that respect human rights, offer state protection and do not normally produce refugees. The government’s suite of recent immigration reforms ensures that those who genuinely need Canada’s protection get it faster, while those with unfounded asylum claims are sent home more quickly through expedited processing.

Quick facts

With these latest additions, 42 countries now appear on Canada’s DCO list.
Asylum claims from DCO countries have dropped by 88 percent over the previous three years.
With the new asylum system in place, it now takes, on average, three-and-a-half months for the Immigration and Refugee Board to hear a refugee claim, compared to approximately 20 months before the reforms.

Quote

“DCO designation is reserved for those countries that respect and protect the rights of their citizens. By expediting the processing of DCO claimants, we are ensuring that genuine refugees get protection faster, while those with unfounded claims are sent home more quickly.”

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

Associated links

Source: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do;jsessionid=0e9a47a77229f98a245ddc05bddc988c80a6c5639d16088f3289d394933f3b3d.e38RbhaLb3qNe38Lb3v0?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=892139&crtr.tp1D=1

Tags: Canada's refugee system

http://allontario.ca/2014/10/protecting-canadas-asylum-system-from-abuse/

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2013 in Review: Refugees and immigrants in Canada

The short timelines create high levels of stress. Many claimants are unable to prepare themselves adequately for their hearing. The timelines are particularly damaging for vulnerable claimants, such as survivors of torture, and for claimants fleeing persecution based on gender or sexual orientation.
Two-tier system: Some claimants have less access to protection, based on where they are from. Refugee claimants from Designated Countries of Origin have even less time to prepare their case, limited access to services and restricted legal recourses.
Access to health care: cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program in 2012 compound the difficulties faced by claimants in the new system.
The number of people making refugee claims in Canada went down dramatically in 2013. Final figures for the year will likely be at a record low.

Lack of safeguards before deportation

The government has invested more resources in quick deportations, while new rules remove safeguards to prevent deportations in cases with new evidence of risk or compelling humanitarian factors. The law considers best interests of the child or life-threatening health conditions, but the person can be deported before they are considered!

Reduced access to protection for trafficked persons

Restrictive new laws are hurting people trafficked into Canada who are trying to escape the criminals exploiting them. Temporary Resident Permits are designed to protect trafficked persons, but they are no longer available to people making a refugee claim, which traffickers force their victims to do at times. Citizenship and Immigration Canada acknowledges this and says it is looking for a solution.

Migrant workers: temporary status makes them vulnerable to abuse

Traditionally a country of permanent immigration, Canada has shifted dramatically towards temporary migration. Workers in “low-skilled” streams of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including many women, are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, even trafficking.

The CCR’s Migrant Workers: Provincial and Federal Report Cards, published in 2013, highlight important gaps in protection of migrant workers’ basic rights in Canada. Happily some provinces are adopting measures to address some of these gaps, but there is much more to do.
Changes to the Canadian Experience Class make it more difficult for some temporary workers to make a permanent home in Canada.

Permanent residence is becoming less permanent

New immigration rules mean that it is much easier to lose permanent residence – in many situations.

Conditional permanent residence for some sponsored spouses and partners. 2013 marked the first year of this new policy. If a couple does not remain together for two years, the sponsored partner loses status and can be deported. Although there are exceptions in cases of abuse and neglect, concerns remain that this policy makes women especially vulnerable to abuse.
After committing a crime. Changes in 2013 mean that more permanent residents have no way to appeal their removal, even if they have lived in Canada virtually all their lives.
Refugees found to no longer need Canada’s protection. Permanent residents who came to Canada as refugees now automatically lose their status if they are found to no longer be a refugee. People leading peaceful and productive lives in Canada are now facing the threat of deportation.

Some good news: Ezokola

In 2013 the Supreme Court of Canada brought Canada in line with international standards on when people can be excluded from refugee protection on the basis of war crimes. Refugees will no longer be excluded from protection in Canada based on simple suspicion of crimes or based on the criminal acts of a group they belong to, without them personally being guilty.

Canadian Citizenship: Harder to get, easier to lose

Citizenship matters came onto the agenda in 2013, and look to dominate in 2014 too.

Barriers to acquiring citizenship. Processing times for citizenship applications are now over 2 years. Many applicants in 2013 were required to complete a detailed, extra “Residence Questionnaire” leading to further delays. Since late 2012 applicants must provide proof of language proficiency (at their own expense) - a barrier, especially for vulnerable refugees.
Legislative proposals would make it easier to lose citizenship, particularly for those with dual citizenship. The government is also considering withdrawing the automatic right to citizenship by birth in Canada.

Economic priorities at the expense of families and refugees

Canadian immigration serves three main objectives: bringing in economic immigrants, reuniting families and protecting refugees. In 2013 the first was clearly given highest priority. Refugees and family class immigrants were increasingly evaluated according to economic factors.

Long delays for privately sponsored refugees. In-Canada processing of a private sponsorship application takes 9 months! Then a refugee’s application overseas takes 37 months on average.
Lack of response to Syrian refugees. Despite the unprecedented scale of the crisis, Canada has not opened its doors to Syrians. Processing times mean that privately-sponsored Syrian refugees won’t arrive for years, while the government committed to only 200 Syrian refugees.
No longer a global resettlement program. Canada will resettle refugees from just a few countries in the world. Economic factors, including ability to settle easily in Canada, will outweigh refugees’ protection needs. The government also plans to limit the resettlement numbers of refugees with medical needs.
Restricting sponsorship of parents and grandparents to the wealthy. New regulations from 1 January 2014 increased sponsors’ minimum income level by 30% and doubled the length of sponsorship to 20 years.
Slow processing of dependent children. Children in some regions wait over 2 years to be reunited with parents in Canada.

The CCR calls for:

Simple, fair rules for all without discrimination.
A fair chance to be heard when rights are at stake.
Secure status to reduce vulnerabilities.
A return to the best in Canadian traditions of leadership in refugee protection.
Renewed priority for family reunification.

Jan 2014

Summary:

2013 was a year marked by increasing vulnerabilities for many refugees and immigrants in Canada, with status often harder to acquire and easier to lose, and with an firm push towards economic priorities. The CCR has put together the news affecting refugees and immigrants from 2013, so that you can see the bigger picture of where Canada stands and where we should be heading.

http://ccrweb.ca/en/2013_review

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Thursday, June 25, 2015

CANADA MILITARY NEWS: PAGE 2- Canada does needs more Immigrants NOT Refugees- come on Europe and Asia with your smarts and your culture- we'd love 2 have u /Rules/Regs/Reports/Agreements/Passports/Refugge/Links PAGE 2

General Questions about Immigrating to Canada

The refugee system in Canada

Tradition of humanitarian action

Canadian refugee protection programs

Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

In-Canada Asylum Program

Integration services

Assistance for resettled refugees

Assistance for all newcomers, including refugees

Conclusion

Program to pay failed refugee claimants up to $2k to go home getting lots of takers

Huge costs of government bill highlighted

You are here

General Questions about Immigrating to Canada

The refugee system in Canada

Tradition of humanitarian action

Canadian refugee protection programs

Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

In-Canada Asylum Program

Integration services

Assistance for resettled refugees

Assistance for all newcomers, including refugees

Conclusion

Program to pay failed refugee claimants up to $2k to go home getting lots of takers

Huge costs of government bill highlighted

You are here

Refugees

Basic Information for Refugees

After You Arrive

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Protecting Canada's Asylum System from Abuse

Additions to list of Designated Countries of Origin announced

Quick facts

Quote

Related products

Associated links

Contacts

Government of Canada activities and initiatives

Backgrounder — Deterring Abuse of the Refugee System

Is there no longer a need for protection?

Was the protected person status obtained fraudulently?

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Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

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THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CANADA

1. Protecting Our Children From Abuse and Neglect

1. Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act

2. Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act introduced ...

Announcements

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Practical Resources

Information and Reports

Backgrounder — Deterring Abuse of the Refugee System

Is there no longer a need for protection?

Refugee Claimants

Refugees and Protected Persons

Was the protected person status obtained fraudulently?

Canada’s role – Refugees

Refugee programs

History of refugees

Bhutanese refugees

Dependant minors

Protecting Canada’s Immigration System

Embrace Canadian culture

Secondary menu

Protection

Global problem

2013 in Review: Refugees and immigrants in Canada

You are here

New refugee claim system: short timelines, two-tiered system

Lack of safeguards before deportation

Reduced access to protection for trafficked persons

Migrant workers: temporary status makes them vulnerable to abuse

Permanent residence is becoming less permanent

Canadian Citizenship: Harder to get, easier to lose

Economic priorities at the expense of families and refugees

The CCR calls for: