Canadian MPs want same immigration measures for other countries as Ukraine – National

Canada’s remedy of Ukrainians fleeing struggle has been distinctly completely different to these fleeing different humanitarian crises, the Home of Commons immigration committee mentioned Wednesday, and MPs need that to vary.

The committee voted Tuesday to situation a public assertion, urging the federal government to supply the identical particular immigration measures it prolonged to Ukrainians to refugees from different areas.

The assertion reads that “time is of the essence,” and mentioned the committee calls on the immigration minister to make sure Canada’s response to humanitarian crises in different areas “are handled with the identical vigor as Ukraine.”

Canada has expedited immigration purposes from Ukraine and created a unprecedented program to permit Ukrainian residents and their households to return to Canada and work or examine for 3 years whereas they determine their subsequent steps.

This system doesn’t apply to non-Ukrainians who fled the nation.

Canada has obtained 112,000 purposes from folks fleeing Ukraine and has up to now authorized greater than 26,500, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser mentioned at a press convention Wednesday.

The MPs on the committee say the measures must also be out there to Afghans who’re nonetheless of their Taliban-controlled house nation, and refugees from different areas dealing with humanitarian crises akin to Yemen, Myanmar and China.

Fraser didn’t handle the committee’s request in his press convention, however did say Canada stays “extraordinarily dedicated” to serving to folks escape Afghanistan.

Canada has up to now welcomed 10,025 Afghans since August 2021, when the Taliban took management of the nation.

In an announcement Wednesday, a spokesperson for Fraser mentioned refugee resettlement efforts, together with initiatives in Afghanistan and Syria, can take years to implement and have to be accounted for within the authorities’s annual immigration-level targets tabled in Parliament.

In the meantime, consultations with the Ukrainian neighborhood reveal many want solely to return to Canada briefly after which return house when it’s secure.

“We’ll proceed to take a look at extra ways in which Canada can settle refugees, complementary to our resettlement efforts,” spokeswoman Aidan Strickland mentioned in an announcement. “Every state of affairs is exclusive and needs to be thought of as such to make sure that Canada is responding accordingly.”

UN Excessive Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi applauded Canada’s actions to convey Ukrainians to a save haven, but additionally reminded authorities officers of different refugee crises.

In February, earlier than Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine, the UN refugee company counted about 84 million refugees and displaced folks worldwide.

“Since then, that quantity has in all probability grown to nicely over 90 million. We have to be within the area of 95 million now,” Grandi mentioned on the press convention with Fraser.

Grandi was in Ottawa Wednesday to announce a brand new international activity power, chaired by Canada, aimed toward discovering different methods to convey refugees to secure international locations.

The initiative builds on a Canadian pilot program to permit expert refugees to use for everlasting residency by way of financial channels. The thought is to convey extra refugees to the nation, along with these welcomed by way of humanitarian processes.

The pilot eliminated a number of the limitations that may historically have precluded refugees from making use of for everlasting residency in Canada by way of financial channels.

It was expanded late final 12 months to accommodate 500 expert refugees, and Fraser says he hopes to see much more welcomed below this system sooner or later.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan says the thought behind the pilot program is nice, however she has famous some points with the execution. For instance, this system is meant to incorporate a mortgage choice to permit refugees to fulfill the financial necessities to help themselves once they come to Canada, however that mortgage shouldn’t be but out there.