Canada Doubles Initial Afghan Resettlement Target
The Canadian federal government is pledging to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees from high-risk groups, because Canada has a “moral imperative” to help the people of Afghanistan, according to Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.
“Canada is once again showing its capacity to be a global trailblazer by being the first country in the world to launch a humanitarian resettlement program that specifically focuses on women, on girls, on LGBTI and targeted minorities,” said Mendicino.
The announcement was made by Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau during an address in front of the United Nations. During the address, he compared the current situation in Afghanistan to the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis that saw 44,000 Syrian refugees resettled in Canada.
“Canadians overwhelmingly called on us to do more. And in response to their generosity and welcoming spirit, we have now committed to welcoming 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada,” Garneau said.
However, Canada has failed to create a program or pathway that allows Afghans to apply to Canada, for example, something similar to the Health Care Pathway that was implemented earlier this year. This is much needed because many Afghans have not been able to get out of their country, or, if they have, the standard resettlement programs will be very difficult, uncertain and lengthy process.
The recently announced figure is double the initial Afghan resettlement target announced back in August. Back then, the federal government announced plans to resettle 20,000 Afghans from vulnerable groups, including:
- Female leaders
- Human-rights advocates
- Journalists
- LGTBQ individuals
- Those belonging to persecuted religious groups
- Families of interpreters already resettled in Canada
READ MORE: Canada to Resettle An Additional 20,000 Afghan Refugees
Mendicino has stated that more than 2,500 Afghan refugees have already been resettled. No timeline has been provided for when the remaining 37,500 refugees will be resettled, however, the resettlement will be facilitated through both private sponsorship and government sponsorship.
Mendicino says that the goal is for Canada to resettle refugees who have already fled Afghanistan. However, some asylum seekers who have yet to escape Afghanistan may be eligible, as Canada continues to help Afghan residents flee the country through overland routes. Yet the government has not yet managed to create any concrete program to which those individuals can apply directly. This was recently an issue discussed on the CBC’s National by Ms. Arghavan Gerami, advocating for the implementation of such a program.
Canada’s efforts to resettle Afghan refugees have been fuelled by the Taliban rapidly gaining control of Afghanistan, causing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
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Arghavan Gerami
Arghavan Gerami is the Founder and Senior Counsel at Gerami Law Professional Corporation ('PC'), a full-service immigration law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2011, Ms. Gerami has focused her practice on immigration and refugee litigation. Prior to that, Ms. Gerami worked at the Ministry of Attorney General and the Department of Justice and had the privilege of serving the Honourable Mr. Justice M. Evans at the Federal Court of Appeal on immigration and administrative law appeals. Ms. Gerami contributes to the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ms. Gerami has also published numerous journal articles and presented at various immigration and refugee law conferences and events across Canada.