Gov’t rule overhaul blamed for backlog
Change in refugee status requirement designed to reduce number of private sponsorships
The Conservative government imposed a new rule for potential refugees in 2012 — a change refugee groups squarely blame for why so few Syrians have made it to Canadian soil.
The groups say they have repeatedly called on Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and the government to exempt Syrians from the rule — which says the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) or another country must first designate a person as a refugee before immigration officials will consider letting them be privately sponsored to come to Canada.
But they say their requests have been ignored.
Then-immigration minister Jason Kenney implemented the new rule in October 2012 as part of a broader Conservative government overhaul of Canada’s refugee system.
The rule only applies to those refugees being sponsored by groups of five or more Canadians, called G5s. It does not apply to so-called sponsorship agreement holders, which are large organizations like churches and community associations that have a long history of sponsoring refugees to come to Canada.
Briefing notes obtained by the Ottawa Citizen say the change was intended to protect against fraud, but also to deal with a large backlog of applications from private sponsors while speeding up applications. “It is anticipated that this regulatory change will reduce G5 submissions by 70 per cent,” reads one memo to Kenney.
The rule appears to have played a key role in the government’s refusal to let a B.C. woman, Tima Kurdi, privately sponsor her brother Mohammad Kurdi and his family to come to Canada.
After Mohammad’s application was returned to Tima, their other brother, Abdullah, tried to flee with his family from Turkey to Greece. Their boat capsized and Abdullah’s two young sons and wife all drowned. Pictures of three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body washed ashore in Turkey shocked the world.
Some organizations expressed concern at the time that the new regulation would have negative implications for refugees. The Canadian Bar Association, for example, warned that refugees already faced significant challenges to get recognized by the UNHCR where there are “massive refugee influxes.”
Fast-forward to the Syrian crisis. Overwhelmed by the flood of Syrians fleeing their country since 2011, the UNHCR has only been able to go through the screening process needed to designate someone a refugee for a fraction of the population.
“There is no way the UNHCR can actually have individual interviews with everybody they register to determine whether they are a Geneva Convention refugee,” said Naomi Alboim of Lifeline Syria, a Toronto-based organization working to facilitate private sponsorships. “It’s beyond their resources.”
Refugee groups say only sponsorship agreement holders have had any real success bringing Syrians to Canada. They say the majority of G5 sponsors, such as Tima Kurdi, have been stonewalled because of the new rule.
Alexander’s office did not respond to interview requests Friday.
According to the briefing notes obtained by the Citizen, the minister does have the ability to waive the requirement for groups of applicants. Alboim said Lifeline Syria sent Alexander two letters about the issue. Other groups say they have done the same thing.
“He’s aware,” Alboim said. “The department’s aware. We have received no formal replies from the minister.”
There is no way the UNHCR can actually have individual interviews with everybody they register.
NAOMI ALBOIM REFUGEE ACTIVIST