New Humanitarian Pathway: Canada Welcomes 11,000 Latin American and Caribbean Migrants
The Canadian government has announced a new humanitarian pathway that would allow up to 11,000 migrants from Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti to gain permanent residency in the country.
The new program was announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller and is the result of the government’s commitment to welcome 15,000 from Central and South America following renegotiations of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States.
“Earlier this year, we announced that we will welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere,” Miller said in a statement.
“We are providing a path to economic opportunities to help address forced displacement, as an alternative to irregular migration. Through this initiative, we are providing regular migration pathways to people in the Americas by leveraging permanent resident humanitarian and economic pathways, and temporary work programs.”
To qualify for the program, which will begin accepting applications this fall, the applicant must be a child (regardless of age), grandchild, spouse, common-law partners, parent, grandparent or sibling of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
The Canadian relative must be at least 18 years old and sign a statutory declaration that they will provide supports to the applicant to help with their settlement and integration, such as helping them find housing, enrolling children in school, and registering adults for language classes, the Toronto Star reported.
According to The Star, the 15,000 new arrivals, 4,000 of which will be temporary foreign workers, would not have to meet the United Nations refugee definition.
However, details have yet to be announced about what other requirements applicants will need to be met to qualify for the program. Those details are expected in the coming weeks.
“Successful applicants will be offered enhanced pre-arrival services, including an employment skills assessment and a referral to a settlement provider organization in their intended community,” Miller said.
Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti were chosen because they make the largest volume of irregular migrants in the continent, The Star reported.
“Basically, Canada said, ‘Ok, to relieve pressure on the US, we are going to welcome additional people from Latin America,’” said Kareem El-Assal, policy director with Canada Visa.
“But I would also say there’s a broader motivation and it’s also part of Canada’s immigration objectives.
“When my family and I immigrated to Canada, we only had eight immigration options available. Now we have over 120, so when you have such diversity it can be a bit confusing but, on the positive side, you’re basically creating way more options for people to fit under.”
Among the most relevant elements in the proposal will be the possibility for Canadian citizens and residents to bring siblings through the program.
“You are able to bring siblings through sponsorship in very limited circumstances . . . but it’s very difficult,” El-Assal said.
“The vast majority of family reunification is partners. Children, parents and grandparents make up a small share.”
The fact the Canadian government is making a requirement that those who apply already have family in the country is likely to make integration into Canadian society easier, El-Assal added.
“There’s a lot of Canadian government research that shows that when the individual comes here on humanitarian needs already has social connections, either through private sponsorship or family, their integration tends to be a bit easier just because they have the supports,” he said.
El-Assal also advised people to be prepared as much as possible to apply once the program goes live, given the limited number of applications that will be approved.
“This challenge can be mitigated by remaining on top of announcements and making sure they have all the documentation in place so that when the program does begin to accept applications, you are able to submit your application quickly,” he said.
“Just being prepared in advance gives you a huge advantage over many other people.”