Canada Immigration and IRCC 2021-16 August 2023

Immigration measures for people affected
by the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025

How to build a better Canada after COVID-19: Rethinking immigration can boost the economy
Anna Triandafyllidou, Canada Research Excellence Chair in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan University
(The Conversation) Canadian governments, regardless of the party in power, have traditionally increased immigration numbers as a strategy to offset the country’s declining domestic birthrate. A continual flow of immigrants is essential for economic stability and growth.
Canadian immigration policy involves long-term planning related to the country’s demographic composition, growth (or rather decline, without immigration), key industries and efforts to attract new immigrants to the smaller regional centres across this vast country. (2 July 2020)

16 August
Two years after Kabul’s fall, Ottawa considering expansion of Afghan immigration program
The federal government is under pressure to speed up the process for Afghans fleeing Taliban rule …as Afghans this week mark the two-year anniversary of Kabul’s fall to the Taliban, many are still waiting to find out if they will be accepted into one of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) streams.
(CBC) Following months of pressure from refugee advocacy groups and opposition parties, the federal government says it is thinking about increasing the number of Afghans it can bring to Canada.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller has been tasked with completing his government’s two-year-old promise to bring in at least 40,000 Afghans
“It’s safe to say publicly that we will show some flexibility,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, referring to the goal the Liberal Party set during the last federal election campaign of bringing 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.
“There is some uncertainty in the number of people obviously that assisted Canada and clearly what their family members, who their family members are, and the level of risk that those people face in that country. And it’s not like Canada will hit a number and walk away from the table.”

8-9 August
Griffith: Canada badly needs an immigration reset
The recent cabinet shuffle allows the federal government to take action so that housing, health care and infrastructure aren’t unduly strained by new arrivals.
(Ottawa Citizen) The government has largely ignored the impact of high levels of immigration on housing availability and affordability, health care and infrastructure. Belated recognition that current policies are not working to the benefit of all Canadians may be the reason behind the appointment of a new minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, and the reassignment of the former minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, to housing and infrastructure.
… Now, there are almost weekly commentaries and reports, ranging from the banks to economists, the International Monetary Fund and others, noting deteriorating productivity, housing availability and affordability, stress on health care and infrastructure. Even the major boosters of increased immigration have shifted their messaging to “growing well” or even calling for a pause in increases.
Marc Miller on an abrupt job change
(Politico Ottawa Playbook) Immigration Minister Marc Miller spent five years trying to build some kind of meaningful trust between the federal government and Indigenous people, first as a parliamentary secretary in 2018 and later in two Cabinet portfolios. … And on July 26, with little notice, he found himself in a new job. Prime Minister Trudeau shuffled Miller to immigration, part of a summertime sea change in Cabinet.
Here’s what he told us about his abrupt career shift, edited for length and clarity.
“[Immigration] is a massive department with a footprint across the globe, and it has a briefing book that corresponds to that picture. I’ve spent the last five days in briefings, but also getting one-on-one time with the briefing book and going through it in some detail, poring over facts, writing down questions that we have.
I’m lucky to have someone who has the reputation for being one of the best briefers in government. CHRISTIANE FOX is the deputy minister. I had the opportunity to work with her at Indigenous Services Canada during a particularly difficult time.”

22 June
The politics of rescue
In some ways, the terrible and now sad drama that unfolded miles under the ocean is a microcosm for issues on land, asking the same unsettling question: What are our responsibilities for people in need?
(GZERO North) “The tragic fate of the OceanGate Titan crew gripped the world in another Titanic obsession for obvious reasons. It led to a massive search operation that has had US and Canadian naval ships, Coast Guard vessels, and many others desperately rushing to … do whatever they could. ….
The intense search effort – which highlighted the intimately close relationship between the US and Canada, especially in times of crisis – has also been criticized as a stark reminder of the abdication of other wider responsibilities these two countries have to vulnerable people around the world. Contrast the attention, money, and material lavished upon the Titan search versus those sent to help the hundreds of lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea after a smuggler-run fishing boat jammed with migrants sank. Bodies are still being found today. Did the world do enough? ”
These are not just maritime disaster issues, but immigration ones as well. …Canada’s Supreme Court just ruled that the Safe Third Country Agreement stands, meaning that refugees who transit through the United States, from say, Latin America, and cross into Canada, will be turned back to the US and processed there. Critics have said this puts refugees in real danger (the court said the discretionary exemptions based on key factors make it legal), but the politics of immigration in Canada is also ricocheted by the US obsession over its Mexican border troubles.
Canada’s top court says US safe for refugees – more or less
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Safe Third Country Agreement, which governs refugee migration between Canada and the United States, is constitutional. Refugee groups had said the US was not a “safe” country and that returning refugees who fled north violated the Canadian Charter’s Section 7 guarantee of “life, liberty, and personal security.” The court said otherwise.
The decision follows the March deal struck between Canada and the US to close the irregular border crossings not covered by the 2002 agreement. Refugee migration experts warned the amendment would make life more dangerous for refugees, and eight migrants died soon after while trying to cross the St. Lawrence River to reach the US from Canada.

4 June
‘Travesty’ or ‘forward thinking’? Hundreds weigh in on one-click citizenship oath
Allowing new Canadians to take the oath of citizenship by clicking a box online is a disgusting idea that will cheapen the process and open the door to fraud _ or a forward-thinking notion that will help decrease a backlog of citizenship applications, depending on who you ask.
(Canadian Press) That’s according to the hundreds of comments the government received about the idea over the last few months.
In February, the Liberals asked the public to weigh in on their plan to let people opt out of a formal in-person or online ceremony and instead take the Oath of Citizenship with the click of a mouse.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser pitched the concept as a way to quickly work through a backlog of people waiting to swear their oath and officially become Canadians. It’s expected to save people roughly three months of waiting between taking their citizenship test and officially becoming a Canadian.

19 May
A new era of immigration politics has started in Canada
A recent event held by a group advocating for Canada’s population to reach 100 million by 2100 highlights the extent to which Canada’s immigration debate has increasingly become an economic one rather than one focused on multiculturalism.
(The Hub) Canada has enjoyed a remarkable pro-immigration consensus among its major political parties. But that may be about to change as the immigration debate becomes more focused on economics.
Given the current trajectory of aging in Canada, Canadians would have to suffer a 20 percent decline in living standards without a boost to immigration. The Century Initiative group’s primary focus is hiking immigration levels to the point where Canada has 100 million people by the end of the current century.
Some analysts worry, however, that if inequality increases, at least partly due to immigration policies that bring in low-skilled workers, it could endanger the Canadian consensus on immigration.

14 May
Two solitudes emerging on immigration in Quebec
Campbell Clark
…more immigration won’t suddenly make Canada’s aging population dramatically younger, either. It has a gradual effect – and it is even more gradual because Canada’s immigration reunites parents and grandparents.
There are good arguments for immigration, and a lot of arguments for a better immigration system. But the arguments for a sharp increase, including as a response to current labour shortages, have to be weighed against costs and concerns. Right now, the tight supply of housing in Canadian cities is at the top of the list.
So while the sudden panic in Quebec over immigration was driven by tabloid fear, it does matter that there is now a two-speed immigration plan in Canada that will keep generating political disputes, without much regard to facts. No wonder sovereigntists were rubbing their hands with glee.

11-12 May
Yes, Canada’s new passport really is that bad
Jen Gerson
Ottawa has managed to produce something so ugly, juvenile, and banal that I’m actually personally offended. The new documents are so ugly that they feel like an insult to Canadian identity and people. They reveal the inner psychology of a government that is so pathologically self-hating, it may risk dooming the very concept of nation itself.
Konrad Yakabuski: Trudeau’s culture war on Canada’s symbols erases history
The recent unveiling of a new Canadian Royal Crown and new passport design …is the same kind of culture-war attack on patriotic symbols that aims to discredit our past as removing statues of Sir John A. Macdonald. It rejects seminal events on our path to nationhood in favour of a sanitized version of what it means to be a 21st-century Canadian, which in the end, means almost nothing.
The new crown atop Canada’s coat of arms, unveiled on the day of King Charles III’s coronation, replaces the old one’s crosses and fleur-de-lis with maple leaves and a large snowflake, scrubbing the emblem of its religious and royal symbols.

10 May
Quebec government rejects Trudeau’s immigration plan, fears decline of French
Quebec MNAs say federal plan is incompatible with protection of French
Provincial legislature members on Wednesday adopted a motion declaring Canada’s plan — to welcome 500,000 permanent immigrants a year by 2025 — incompatible with the protection of French in Quebec. The motion also states “it is up to Quebec alone to make its own choices” in immigration matters.

18 March
Canada to accept more Syrian, Turkish residents after devastating February earthquake
(CBC) The federal government will make it easier for temporary residents from Turkey and Syria to extend their stay in Canada and will prioritize the visa applications of people from these two countries, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Saturday.
Fraser said the government will allow people from Turkey and Syria who have a temporary status to visit family, study or work in Canada to apply for an extension and will waive the application fees for them.
He said his department will also prioritize processing temporary visa applications for people affected by the earthquake.
I wanted to make Canada my home. Then I realized my degree was worthless here
After 9 years as an architect in the Middle East, it hurt that I could no longer call myself one in Canada
I can’t understand how the Canadian government says it plans to welcome 500,000 immigrants a year in order to meet the country’s labour shortage, but then doesn’t seem to do anything to stop qualified professionals from being treated with disdain. Until that gap between immigration policy and hiring loopholes is closed, we’ll keep hearing stories of foreign-trained doctors who become Uber drivers and teachers who can only find jobs as janitors.
First Person
I feel trapped in Canada by my work permit
Moving to Canada was harder than I thought. I’m not sure I’d do it again
Nine years and 15 jobs — the endless cycle is eating at my confidence

14 February
Roxham Rd. asylum seekers are being transferred to Ontario, Quebec reveals
Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette said 380 people crossed the border via Roxham Rd. on Saturday and Sunday. Only eight stayed in Quebec.
(Gazette) On the same day the Quebec government upped the pressure on Washington to amend the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States to cover irregular crossing points, Fréchette said Ottawa has taken heed of Quebec’s position that it has reached its maximum capacity when it comes to asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers’ access to Quebec has become a bigger and bigger problem to the province. Montreal in particular has been struggling to provide the new arrivals with appropriate health, education and social services. Quebec has been calling on Ottawa for months to do something about the situation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that his government is working to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement in order to “reduce these irregular passages and promote legal immigration,” but in the meantime the number of crossings continues to grow.
More and more migrants entering province being sent elsewhere, Quebec immigration minister claims
On Tuesday, Legault met with David Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada. During the meeting, the premier stressed the need to modify the Safe Third Country Agreement.
The agreement, signed in 2002 between Canada and the United States, means that migrants must submit their asylum application in the first of the two countries they enter and cannot try a second time at an official border crossing.
It does not apply to irregular border crossings. That’s why people who enter Canada through Roxham Road cannot be turned away.

13 February
Kept apart for years, Iranian couples decry Canada’s heartbreaking immigration delays
(CBC) For a group of Iranian nationals, the wait to live with — let alone hug and kiss — their partners has been painfully long as they wait years for Canada to process their permanent residency (PR) applications.
They say Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has failed them with “unreasonably long” delays and in some cases by denying their visitor visas, keeping them physically apart for years.
This group of 55 couples banded together through social media over similar experiences with stuck applications. Several of the couples — and some outside the group seeking spousal work permits — shared with CBC News that being forced to live apart for years has caused fertility concerns and financial hardships. …
IRCC declined to be interviewed, but in a written statement, a spokesperson said the department is “deeply concerned” about people affected by the situation in Iran, and said family reunification is a priority for the government.
But the group’s petition — a letter signed by all 110 individuals and addressed to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser on Jan. 9, 2023, demanding for some reprieve or answers — was ignored.

10 February
Canada may fast-track immigration applications from people in earthquake zone
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser signalled this week that Canada may fast-track applications to come to Canada from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.
Fraser said his department is trying to figure out the effect on permanent residency applicants already in Canada’s immigration system to determine how to help them.

6 February
Ottawa extends, expands work permit program for Hong Kong residents
(Global) Ottawa has extended and expanded a work permit program for Hong Kong residents seeking jobs in Canada as advocates warned thousands could be shut out with its expiry.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Monday that the federal government was extending the application deadline for the temporary three-year open work permit to Feb. 7, 2025. It was set to expire Tuesday.
Fraser also said Ottawa was expanding eligibility to Hong Kong residents who have graduated within the past 10 years from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada or abroad. Previously, applicants had to have graduated within the past five years.

2 February
Canada votes to take in 10,000 Uyghur refugees amid Chinese pressure to force their return
Move shows ‘what is happening to the Uyghurs is unacceptable’, says MP after non-binding parliamentary ballot with prime minister’s support
Canada’s parliament has unanimously passed a motion to take in 10,000 Uyghur refugees who fled China, but are now facing pressure to return.
The vote on Wednesday builds on a February 2021 move by Canadian lawmakers to label Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in its north-western Xinjiang territory as genocide.
Rights groups believe at least 1 million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in internment camps in the region, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.

30 January
Yazidis plead with Canada not to repatriate alleged ISIS members
The looming return of alleged ISIS members to Canada has brought trauma, worry and fear to people who were invited to Canada as a safe haven after the terrorist group all but destroyed their ancient community in northern Iraq.
The Yazidis are members of an ancient Kurdish-speaking farming community in northern Iraq who practice their own monotheistic religion. They were victims of one of the worst atrocities of the 21st century at the hands of the Islamic fundamentalist terror group, which set out to eradicate the Yazidi people in a brutal campaign launched on August 3, 2014.
Earlier this month, the federal government agreed to repatriate 19 Canadian women and children from northeastern Syria, where they have been held in Kurdish-run detention camps for suspected ISIS members and their families.
The agreement to assist women and children to travel to Canada was followed a day later by an order from the Federal Court, instructing the government to also repatriate four men currently held in Syrian prisons, accused of ISIS membership.
20 January
Court orders government to repatriate 4 Canadian men detained in Syria
The Federal Court has ordered the government to repatriate four Canadian men currently being held in northeastern Syria.
The Canadians are among a number of foreign nationals in Syrian prisons for suspected ISIS members that are run by the Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-torn region from the extremist group.
Family members of 23 detained Canadians — four men, six women and 13 children — had asked the court to order the government to arrange for their return. They argued that refusing to do so would violate their charter rights.
Jack Letts, who has been imprisoned in Syria for more than four years after allegedly joining ISIS, is among the four men.
Letts admitted in a 2019 interview to joining ISIS in Syria. His family says he made that admission under duress and there is no evidence that he ever fought for the group.
‘I’ve always felt I am Canadian:’ Jihadi Jack hopes to take refuge in Canada
Jack Letts, an accused terrorist, reasons that if he is really a Canadian citizen, the country ought to bring him in

16 January
Ottawa prepared to use ‘aggressive measures’ to reduce immigration backlog, policy memo reveals
There were more than two million immigration applications to be processed by the IRCC as of late last year, including from those seeking work and study permits, along with those who applied for permanent residence. IRCC is concerned that the stockpile is “eroding the public’s trust” in the department, the memo reads.
By Matt Lundy
(Globe & Mail) To reduce the number of visitor visa applications, IRCC was deliberating on two options, according to the memo. In the first, the department would process an estimated 195,000 applications in bulk. This could include a large number of tourists from countries that require a visa to visit Canada.
Under the second option, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser would waive certain eligibility requirements for roughly 450,000 applications. Because other efforts are under way to reduce the TRV backlog, this decision would apply to all remaining applications.
By waiving eligibility rules, foreign nationals would not need to establish that they will leave Canada when their visa expires.
There has been improvement of late: Two months earlier than that, there were 2.6 million applications in the system.
Prospective visitors and immigrants have been extremely frustrated by the processing delays. This has led to reputational damage for IRCC and a flurry of legal cases against it. Some PR applicants have waited years for a decision, for example, while others are nearing the end of their work permits, but have yet to hear whether they can stay in the country and continue their employment.
IRCC says it has invested millions of dollars in its processing capacity and hired hundreds of new employees to speed up decision-making.
Mr. Fraser could use his authority under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to waive eligibility requirements. This was recently done to expedite processing of visas for attendees of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal.

2022

12 December
Thousands assigned to inactive immigration officers and IDs. Are you one of them?
CBC News has learned 59,456 open and pending applications were assigned to 779 former employees or idle computer IDs that aren’t working within the IRCC’s administrative system as of this February.
(CBC) Canada’s immigration department has assigned tens of thousands of applicants to immigration officers or placeholder codes that are inactive and no longer working within their system — some who’ve last logged in and processed files up to 16 years ago, and from airports and visa offices around the world.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data on “inactive users” on their Global Case Management System (GCMS) — its worldwide internal system used to process citizenship and immigration applications — show 59,456 open, pending or re-opened applications that were assigned to 779 former employees or dormant computer placeholder codes used to hold applicants in queue as of this February.
The department told CBC once a user is set as inactive, “it means they are no longer using the system and their access is no longer available.”
The data also shows when each employee or code last logged into the IRCC system.
IRCC employees are only identifiable publicly via codes, which consist of a mix of letters and numbers (like AB12345, for example).
The oldest login dates back to Oct. 6, 2006, with one application assigned to that Montreal-based code. Nineteen applications are assigned to a code or employee in Edmonton who last logged in on May 9, 2007.
Canada’s immigration backlog decreases to 2.4 million people There has been a large reduction in the backlog of temporary residence applications while the permanent residence backlog has increased slightly. (10 November)

9 December
Afghan refugees in limbo as resettlement program becomes full after weeks (video)
Since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in 2021, Canada has welcomed more than 25,000 Afghans, and has quietly launched a new program to help those without documents. But as Neetu Garcha reports, that program has already ended just weeks after it started.
Canadians appeal for expansion of closed Afghan refugee sponsorship program
(Global) …there’s a major obstacle for private sponsorship groups to overcome before they can apply to bring over the eligible families – who often have relatives already in Canada.
In order to be privately sponsored, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires most Afghans who’ve fled to other countries like Pakistan and Iran, to have official refugee recognition from that foreign state or from the United Nation High Commission for Refugees. … Tens of thousands of people fled Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 after a 20-year war. Many who couldn’t get out then have been desperately trying to find routes to new lives and thousands are stuck in neighbouring countries, without officially being declared refugees at risk of being deported.

8 December
Canada needs to consider the user experience of migrants when designing programs that impact them
Lucia Nalbandian, Ph.D. Student, Political Science, University of Toronto and Nick Dreher, PhD student, Policy Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University
(The Conversation) Our research has revealed that governments across the globe are increasingly leveraging technology in immigration and integration processes. As Canadian government services focus on improving the experience of their citizens, efforts should be extended to future citizens as well.
Despite the importance of immigrants for the Canadian economy and national identity, it remains to be seen if immigrants are engaged in the development of policies, services and technological tools that impact them.
There continues to be a strong case for technological transformation in Canada’s immigration-focused departments, programs and services. As of July 31, 2022, Canada has a backlog of 2.4 million immigration applications.
In other words, Canada is failing to meet the application processing timelines it has set for itself for services —including passport renewal, refugee travel documents, and work and study permits.
While the Canadian government is trying to address these backlogs, there appears to be no discussion of asking immigrants about their journey through the application process.

26 November
Advocates fear visa problems ahead of COP15 in Montreal
Worried there could be repeat of situation that prevented some African delegates from attending International AIDS Society conference in July.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it found no fault in its handling of visa applications for the International AIDS Society conference last July. Some delegates from Africa were either denied visas or were still waiting for a response by the time the conference got underway.
For years, [Madhukar Pai, the Canada Research Chair in translational epidemiology and global health at McGill University.] has attended conferences where his African colleagues have had more difficulty getting visas than his peers from Latin America and Asia.
It’s an issue he has seen at events hosted in the U.S., Britain and Canada, and one he was particularly concerned about last spring as Ottawa struggled to process everything from refugee applications to passport renewals.
… A 2018 analysis by The Globe and Mail found that Canada refuses a majority of visa applications from more than a dozen African countries.
The problem is compounded by Canada’s scant diplomatic presence on the continent; many have to travel thousands of miles and cross borders to submit paperwork and have their fingerprints scanned.

15 November
How Canada plans to break records with its new refugee targets
Geoffrey Cameron, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, McMaster University, and Shauna Labman, Associate Professor of Human Rights, Global College, University of Winnipeg
(The Conversation) … Despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has led the world in refugee resettlement for the past three years. Nevertheless, the targets set by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser will require a significant increase in state capacity.
In 2021, around 20,000 refugees were resettled in Canada, meaning the 2023 targets will represent a 150 per cent increase.
But it’s easier to set a policy goal than to implement it. Slow processing times have already limited the government from delivering on its resettlement goals. And meeting these ambitious targets will require corresponding investments in personnel and more efficient processes.
Canada’s refugee targets also reveal how important the private sponsorship program is to the implementation of the government’s goals.
Private sponsorship allows registered organizations (known as Sponsorship Agreement Holders) and informal groups to sponsor specific refugees if they pay for a portion of the first-year settlement costs, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars for a family.
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program was introduced in 2013 as a way for sponsors to support refugees the government had selected through referrals from the UNHCR.

1 November
Ottawa aims to welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025
(Globe & Mail) The federal government is increasing immigration targets for the next three years, aiming to admit almost 1.5 million new permanent residents to Canada by the end of 2025, in an effort to address significant labour shortages and an aging population while attracting newcomers to rural communities.
The numbers are in Ottawa’s annual immigration plan, which Immigration Minister Sean Fraser released on Tuesday. It says the government aims to add 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. Last year, Canada admitted more than 405,000. Permanent residents can live and work in the country indefinitely and eventually apply for citizenship.
The plan calls for next year’s group of newcomers to include 266,210 economic immigrants, who are typically skilled workers. Among the rest would be 106,500 people coming to Canada to reunite with their families and 76,305 refugees and other protected people.

26 October
Population share of immigrants, permanent residents hits 23% record: census
Immigrants on track to account for up to 34% of population by 2041, StatsCan says in census release
(CBC) Immigrants and permanent residents now make up a larger share of Canada’s population than they do in any other G7 country.
Canada’s population grew by 5.4 per cent from 2016 to 2021. New immigrants accounted for 71.1 per cent of that growth.
Statistics Canada says that recent immigrants are younger on average than the rest of the Canadian population and have been critical to filling many jobs in the Canadian labour market.
Just over 64 per cent of new immigrants fell into the core working age of 25 to 54, with only 3.6 per cent of new immigrants in the 55 to 64 age group. More than 17 per cent of new immigrants were younger than 15.
From 2016 to 2021, immigrants accounted for four-fifths of Canada’s labour force growth. A large share of recent immigrants were selected for their ability to contribute to Canada’s economy.
Statistics Canada says more than half of recent immigrants — 748,120 of the 1.3 million admitted to Canada between 2016 and 2021 — entered Canada under the economic category.
Asian-born immigrants accounted for a record share of recent immigrants, rising from just 12.1 per cent in 1971 to 62 per cent in 2021. The number of new immigrants born in Europe, meanwhile, has continued its 50-year decline and fell to just 10.1 per cent in 2021 from a high of 61.1 per cent in 1971.
India was the leading source country for new Asian immigrants, contributing 18.6 per cent of the total number arriving in Canada between 2016 and 2021.

7 October
Ottawa working on program to regularize status of 500,000 immigrants
Ministry consulting advocacy groups and researchers — but details remain vague
(CBC) The federal government is aiming to create a program that will provide a path to permanent residency for up to 500,000 immigrants who are working in Canada but do not have official standing.
The program would have unprecedented scope and apply to people whose visa or work permits had expired, and to those whose refugee applications may have been denied or blocked due to a moratorium on deportations to their country, according to Radio-Canada. … Lisa Middlemiss, a former president of the Canadian Bar Association, says that while the new program would be a positive step for people with precarious status who’ve lived and worked in the country for years, it could appear unfair to migrants who have temporary status in Canada without the possibility of obtaining permanent residency.
Advocates such as Augenfeld and Anne fear Quebec’s government could intervene to limit the program within the province.
During the pandemic, when the federal government created a program allowing asylum seekers working in health care to apply for permanent residency, Premier François Legault’s government objected to expanding the criteria to workers who did not directly care for patients, such as cooking staff and cleaners. See: Program to grant residency to asylum seekers who work in health care excludes hundreds, advocates say]

4-6 October
Ottawa won’t be able to resist Quebec demands for immigration powers, Legault says
Obtaining more powers, specifically over temporary workers and the family reunification program, was a key part of his election campaign.
… Legault turned up the heat on Ottawa for its refusal to turn over more powers to Quebec in the name of protecting French. … Legault and LeBel’s comments follow those of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Quebec lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez, on Wednesday. Both said that despite the province’s demands for more power to protect French, they believe Quebec already has all the powers it needs. Legault made obtaining additional immigration powers, specifically over temporary workers and the family reunification program, a key part of his election campaign. Twenty-six per cent of new arrivals fall into the category of family reunification, which Ottawa controls. That represents about 10,600 new arrivals a year. Quebec wants a bigger say because about half of those immigrants don’t speak French.
Quebec business groups ask new premier for action on labour shortage
The economy needs to be a central issue for the premier’s new mandate as the province faces labour shortages and inflation, said Karl Blackburn, president of business group Conseil du patronat du Québec.
Earlier this month, the Chamber of Commerce for Metropolitan Montreal released a list of five priorities for the city’s business community. The first is that the provincial government act quickly to address labour shortages.
Not enough employees mean businesses may turn down contracts, and small and medium business owners may be have to work more hours said François Vincent, head of Quebec operations at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Many economists see higher immigration numbers as a way to fill the labour shortfall.
On the campaign trail, Legault spoke frequently about immigration, often claiming that welcoming too many immigrants would put the survival of the French language in the province at risk.
However, Moshe Lander a senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University, said that immigration compliments the labour force and makes for a more efficient economy.
Implications For Immigration After CAQ Wins Landslide Victory In Quebec Election
The election results give the Legault government carte blanche when it comes to immigration policy – and Legault has clearly indicated he will not be substantially increasing immigration.
“With 50,000 immigrants per year, we are already one of the few places in the world that receives proportionately as many immigrants,” the premier reportedly said in French in early June.
In the week ahead of the election, he described a substantial increase in immigration to the province as something that would be cultural suicide for the Quebecois.
“Until we have stopped the decline of French,” the premier told business, “I think that, for the Quebec nation, which wants to protect French, it would be a bit suicidal to increase (immigration).”

25 August
Jack Jedwab: Frank discussion on immigration needed in Quebec
The bottom line is that Quebec and the rest of Canada need immigrants to meet significant demands in the labour market in light of the aging of the population. When the CAQ promised cuts to immigration, many Quebec leaders of industry voiced their concerns about the proposed reductions at a time when there was a desperate need for workers to meet growing labour market needs.

15 August
Opposition MPs, non-profit groups urge Ottawa to step up efforts to help stranded Afghans
In the days that followed the Taliban takeover, governments around the world rushed to evacuate their own citizens, as well as Afghans who had assisted each country’s diplomatic or military mission in Afghanistan.
The Canadian government vowed to bring 40,000 Afghans to Canada. At first, it promised refuge to those who had worked alongside Canadian troops or at the Canadian embassy in Kabul. Later, it committed to bringing over Afghans who would be particularly vulnerable to harm under fundamentalist Taliban rule, such as women’s rights activists and people who are gay or transgender.
But one year on, many who believe they fall into one of those categories have repeatedly contacted Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to no avail. Afghans who formerly worked for Canada have told The Globe and Mail they feel completely abandoned. And they are growing increasingly anxious about what will become of them if Canada denies them resettlement.

3 August
Erik Richer La Flèche: Canada’s Tradition of Neglecting Local Hires Continues
(Future imperfect bis) In the last hours of the South Vietnamese regime, the United States—and others—chose people over things. It was not Canada’s finest hour, and Canada’s failure was noticed by the international press, including the New York Times.
History has a way of repeating itself. Over the past 24 months, Canada’s callous (and dangerous) attitude toward its local hires has once again come to light.
Firstly, there is the matter of the Afghan army translators and Canadian embassy staff and guards. Individuals entrusted with the lives of Canadians in a conflict should need hours to be vetted and given entrance to Canada, not months or years. There is no excuse: the Canadian Government has failed.
Secondly, the Globe and Mail reported on August 2, 2022, that the Canadian Embassy in Kiev had made no plans for its local staff in the event Kiev fell to Russia, even though there were indications that the staff would be subject to arrest and possibly worse should the Russians prevail.
Canada abandoned Ukrainian embassy employees despite their likelihood of being on Russian hit list
Before pulling Canadian diplomats out of Ukraine weeks ahead of the Russian invasion, Global Affairs Canada received intelligence confirming that Russia intended to wage war against its neighbour, and that Ukrainians who worked for the Canadian embassy were likely on lists of people Moscow intended to hunt down.
Despite the apparently dire situation, Ottawa told Canadian embassy leaders in Kyiv to withhold this information from those Ukrainian staff members and leave them behind.

15 July
Spots nearly full for Canada’s special Afghan immigration program
(CTV) The special immigration program is for interpreters, local embassy staff, or other Afghan nationals employed by the government of Canada during the Canadian Armed Forces mission in Afghanistan from 2001-2014. For the former Afghan employees who do not make the cut for Canada’s special immigration program, the government says other streams like its humanitarian program, or private refugee sponsorship are available.
Ottawa closes special Afghan immigration program to new applicants
With Ottawa processing the last of 18,000 applications, the program is winding down
Less than halfway to its goal of bringing 40,000 Afghans to Canada, the federal government is no longer taking new referrals for the special immigration program meant to prioritize former employees of the Armed Forces or Canadian government and their families.
CBC News has learned the government is processing the last of the 18,000 applications filled out by Afghans hoping to come here through the program. Advocates for refugees say the decision to wind down the program abandons Afghans desperate to come to this country.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s online referral portal for the program is still up but a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser confirmed in a media statement that all spots in the program have been taken up.

25 June
Prime Minister announces new task force to improve government services for Canadians
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the creation of a new task force to improve government services, with a focus on reducing wait times for Canadians. The task force, a Committee of Cabinet ministers. …will drive action to improve the processing of passports and immigration applications by identifying priority areas for action and outlining short- and longer-term solutions, with a focus on reducing wait times, clearing out backlogs…

17 June
‘Our lives have come to a screeching halt’: Canada’s immigration backlog reaches 2.4M
(CTV) The immigration backlog in Canada has ballooned to 2.4 million people, with over 250,000 applications adding to the pile over a one-month span alone.
That’s according to recent data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) across all categories, from temporary residence and permanent residence to citizenship applications.
“I have not seen backlogs like these in 16 years of my career as an immigration lawyer,” Rick Lamanna, director at Fragomen Canada, an immigration services provider, told CTV News in a phone interview on Thursday.
Despite being among the top five destinations with immigrant-friendly policies around the world, Canada is seeing an upward trend in backlogs since the pandemic.
Long processing times and a lack of communication and transparency are some of the many issues highlighted by families that reached out to CTVNews.ca.

11 June
Immigration minister says he’s working on a faster path to permanence for temporary residents
Sean Fraser says he’s on a tight 120-day timeline set by the Commons
(CBC) A previous program called the “temporary resident to permanent resident pathway” — or TR to PR — was put in place last year for eight months after COVID-19 lockdowns shut the border to newcomers to prevent the spread of the virus.
It gave 90,000 essential workers, front-line health care workers and international students like Kushdeep Singh an accelerated path to permanent status.
… The federal government set a goal of accepting 432,000 newcomers this year alone. Fraser said his department is ahead of schedule, despite the pandemic and the unexpected pressures of working to resettle thousands of people fleeing conflict in both Afghanistan and Ukraine.
“This week we actually resettled the 200,000th permanent resident, more than a month and a half ahead of any year on record in Canada,” he said. “We are seeing similar trends across other lines of business like citizenship, like work permits, which in many instances are double the usual rate of processing.”

30 April
How affordability could scare off the immigrants Canada wants to retain
Retaining skilled immigrants matters to Canada, with a labour shortage and aging workforce. But the pay gap new Canadians face — along with soaring inflation and a housing crisis in many areas — could make that difficult
The federal government doesn’t track migrant retention, but according to Statistics Canada, 50 per cent of international students had no tax records one year after graduation, suggesting they’ve left the country.
In the ICC survey, 23 per cent of new Canadians with a university education responded that they were planning to leave the country in the next two years.
For new Canadians under the age of 35, that number was 30 per cent. However, it’s not clear how this compares to intentions in previous years.
On a national level, there are implications if immigrants choose not to stay. The country faces a labour shortage, and policymakers are hoping immigration can help fill gaps in the workforce — with plans to transition more than 400,000 new immigrants to permanent residents this year.

19 April
This veterans group says it can no longer help people get out of Afghanistan
The Veterans Transition Network says bureaucratic red tape has left its staff frustrated and tired
A Canadian veterans charity that has helped more than 2,000 Afghans get out of the country says it has to wind down its efforts on that front.
The Veterans Transition Network (VTN) cites logistical nightmares, bureaucratic red tape and worker exhaustion for the decision. The group is calling on the Canadian government to fast-track the immigration process for Afghans who supported Canada’s mission in the country.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says the government has not wavered on its commitment to relocate 40,000 Afghans to Canada, but noted there are “obstacles facing us in Afghanistan that were not present in other large-scale resettlement efforts.”
“IRCC recognizes many vulnerable, at-risk Afghans who have qualified under our programs remain in Afghanistan, unable to leave. We have established new partnerships, as well as building on existing ones, to address safety and security constraints limiting the mobility of Afghan persons,” IRCC spokesperson Aidan Strickland said in an email.

11 April
Stop playing politics with our families’ lives, demand Afghan interpreters at Commons committee
‘The minister of immigration made promises directly to us, and we want him to keep these promises’
(National Post) Former Afghan interpreters who served alongside Canadian troops in Afghanistan accuse government officials of breaking promises and placing conditions on long-awaited family reunions that range from unreasonable to downright dangerous.
Interpreters have had “dozens” of meetings with IRCC, Khan said — accusing both the agency and the office of the immigration minister of making empty promises and blatant double standards, including alleged reversals of promises that family members who escaped to third countries prior to July 22, 2021 would be eligible for IRCC’s Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP.)

6 April
Canadian MPs want same immigration measures for other countries as Ukraine
(Global) Canada’s treatment of Ukrainians fleeing war has been distinctly different to those fleeing other humanitarian crises, the House of Commons immigration committee said Wednesday, and MPs want that to change.
The committee voted Tuesday to issue a public statement, urging the government to provide the same special immigration measures it extended to Ukrainians to refugees from other regions.

5 April
New documents reveal Ottawa’s election scramble to respond to Afghanistan crisis
In the midst of last summer’s federal election campaign, Canada fired up an unusual emergency loan program for Afghan nationals who had fled Afghanistan but found themselves short on funds in a third country while waiting to come to Canada.
The establishment of the emergency loan program was one of at least four key initiatives taken by federal immigration officials in the midst of the general election campaign in response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that took many Western nations, including Canada, by surprise.

4 April
Canada’s citizenship process is a problematic piece of political theatre. Here’s why I did it anyway
In the end, I did the Canadian thing, I used my privilege to benefit and protect myself
Callum Wratten
(CBC Opinion) I found the whole process deeply troubling, from the questions on the citizenship test that disingenuously framed Canada’s history, to having to swear allegiance to the Queen. I was troubled by just how easy it was for me, as a middle class, white Australian, compared to those from other countries, particularly agricultural workers.
To become a citizen you first have to be a permanent resident. I first came to Canada on the International Experience Canada Program, but many agricultural workers come here on the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. Despite performing vital labour, most of them have no pathway to permanent residence and hence no pathway to citizenship.
Although I can’t prove it with a reputable journalistic source, I can assure you that these people work harder than me and are far more important to Canadian society than I am. Any system that gives me a route to citizenship and not them is intrinsically discriminatory.
Once permanent residents have lived in Canada for long enough and filed their taxes they can apply to become a citizen. The first step to becoming a Canadian is to pony up. The cost for an adult citizenship application is $630 (a $530 processing fee and a $100 right of citizenship fee). That’s a lot of money. It was more than I would make in a whole week when I worked at Tim Hortons. By charging such a large amount for citizenship, Canada is putting basic rights behind a paywall, and unlike Netflix, you can’t just borrow your friend’s password to vote.

21 March
​​​The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB): Ukrainian files to be prioritized
The IRB does not deal with refugee protection claims that are made by people who are outside of Canada, nor does it manage Canada’s immigration programs, or provide assistance to Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

17 March
Canada launches special temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians
A fast-track visa processing pathway for Ukrainians is now accepting applications.
On March 17, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the launch of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), an accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians fleeing war.
Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality may stay in Canada for up to three years. Overseas applicants need to apply online for a visitor visa and provide their biometrics.

9 March
Is Canada’s welcome to fleeing Ukrainians a new era of refugee policy?
(The Conversation) In less than two weeks, more than two million people have fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Many in the Ukrainian-Canadian community have had to flee before as refugees and Canada now boasts the world’s second-largest Ukrainian diaspora.
Canada is known to be welcoming to refugees — to those from Vietnam in the 1970s, for example, and from Syria and Afghanistan more recently — and is seen as a global refugee resettlement leader. But Canada’s response to Ukrainians fleeing the war is different than past policy.
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has long been plagued by processing delays. The new measures have raised concerns that they might have an impact on other refugees awaiting resettlement to Canada, in particular those from Afghanistan.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has stated: “We can do more than one thing at a time,” and says delays in the admission of Afghan refugees is a logistical challenge on the ground rather than a processing problem.
IRCC has, however, pointed to processing delays to justify technology acquisitions and purchases to speed up decision-making on the admission of refugees. Yet the use of artificial intelligence to deal with immigration applications raises issues of discrimination and racism.

24 January
Where is officer DM10032? Applicants stumped, stranded by idle immigration worker
(CBC) Would-be immigrants around the world are seeking information about a Canadian immigration officer who has left their applications largely untouched for years. They wonder if the person is still working, assigned to their case or even exists.
… Applications are processed at both the Ottawa visa office and in Sydney, N.S.
Several permanent residency (PR) applicants told CBC News they’ve been assigned to an officer they know only as “DM10032” at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Some theorize that DM10032 is not an actual person, but a code for applicants who are waiting in queue.
That was the case with a supposed officer — CB01126, based in Sydney — with whom thousands of applicants had much difficulty. In an access to information request seen by CBC News, IRCC admitted CB01126 was just a “placeholder” code.

19 January
Canada will meet Afghan refugee goals despite ‘extraordinary’ challenges, vows minister
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says more than 200 Afghans landed in Canada on Tuesday, with more to come; Minister says bringing 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada is ‘a top priority for the government of Canada.’
(CBC radio As It Happens)A flight with more than 200 Afghan refugees landed in Vancouver on Tuesday night. Fraser tweeted the news, noting that “many put themselves at risk to help Canada before, during, and after our mission in Afghanistan.”
But many Afghans with ties to Canada are at risk right now. They’re dodging the Taliban in Afghanistan. They’re trying to support families as refugees in Iran and Pakistan. And they’re desperate to take Canada up on its promise of safe haven.
The challenges in Afghanistan are extraordinary. We had an influx of just shy of 4,000 in the immediate evacuation. But then, of course, when Canada lost its diplomatic presence after the fall of Kabul, getting access to the people who may have made an application facilitating their safe passage from or travel to Canada is extraordinarily challenging in a way that most people who’ve not been to a war zone could appreciate.

2021

16 December
AT LAST! Prime Minister releases new mandate letters for ministers
“Continue to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, as set out in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan.
Expand the new immigration stream for human rights defenders and work with civil society groups to provide resettlement opportunities for people under threat.
With the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to facilitate the safe passage and resettlement of vulnerable people from Afghanistan, with an emphasis on individuals who supported Canada and our allies over the past two decades, women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities and increase the number of eligible refugees from 20,000 to at least 40,000.
Reduce application processing times, including to address delays that have been impacted by COVID-19.
Make the citizenship application process free for permanent residents who have fulfilled the requirements needed to obtain it.” And the list goes on!
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Mandate Letter

15 December
Even a powerful Canadian law firm has problems dealing with IRCC (audio)
(CBC The Current) …the Canadian government promised to give asylum to 40,000 Afghan refugees after the Taliban took over. But as 2021 comes to an end, only about one tenth of that number have set foot on Canadian soil. We speak to Saeeq Shajjan, an Afghan lawyer and recent refugee to Canada, about the work his law firm has done with the Canadian government in Afghanistan; and Carla Potter, a lawyer at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, who’s leading the team advocating for Shajjan’s employees.

7 December
Ongoing immigration-processing delays leave many in limbo in Canada and overseas
(CBC) IRCC says it has experienced processing delays amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But nearly two years into it, most of the department’s in-person offices remain closed. And many applicants told CBC News they feel stuck in limbo, with no clear way to check on their files.
According to data received from IRCC, Canada had a backlog of nearly 1.8 million immigration applications as of Oct. 27, including:
548,195 permanent residence applications, including 112,392 refugee applications.
775,741 temporary residence applications (study permits, work permits, temporary resident visas and visitor extensions).
468,000 Canadian citizenship applications.

6 December
Lawyer who helped female judges escape Afghanistan is ‘begging’ Canada to take them in
Helena Kennedy says the women are in safe in Greece — but their visas expire Dec. 24
(CBC As It Happens) Canada owes a debt to the dozens of Afghan female judges who had to flee their home country after the Taliban seized control, says a U.K. lawyer who helped get them out.
They dedicated their careers to bringing abusers, drug traffickers and terrorists to justice in Afghanistan, Helena Kennedy told As It Happens guest host Nil Köksal. Now that the Taliban has released thousands of inmates, those women have targets on their backs.
As the director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), Kennedy helped facilitate the escape of 104 Afghan female judges, prosecutors and their families after Kabul fell to the Taliban earlier this year.
Those women are now in Greece under temporary visas that expire on Dec. 24. If they don’t find countries to take them in before then, they’ll be forced to claim asylum and will be transferred to the country’s notorious refugee camps.

4 December
Tweet from Minister Sean Fraser
“Last night the very first chartered flight carrying privately sponsored Afghan refugees landed in Canada.
This group of 243 will be meeting their sponsors and settling in Kitchener, Richmond Hill, Pickering and Ottawa.”

3 December
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a new team of parliamentary secretaries.
Marie-France Lalonde becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship About Marie-France Lalonde

29 November
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser offers no timeline on resettling Afghan refugees as desperation grows
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser cannot say when the 40,000 Afghan refugees the government has promised to resettle in Canada will arrive, citing the limited referral capacity of partners and saying it would be irresponsible to give people the false hope of a firm date.
Afghans still waiting to leave the country have said the Canadian government has abandoned them. Many worked alongside the Canadian military and with the embassy in Afghanistan, and now they are terrified of Taliban reprisals. Meanwhile, the country has plunged into a worsening economic and food crisis. Afghans waiting in neighbouring countries are also growing desperate as their savings dwindle, clinging only to the hope that they will receive an e-mail with news from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Mr. Fraser said the capacity of referral organizations in third countries, which identify vulnerable refugees and recommend them to Canada, and extraordinary challenges within Afghanistan make it difficult to set a timeline for resettlement – adding that, as Afghans hang on to every word he says, it would not be fair “to start putting potentially arbitrary markers down.”

1 November
Open Letter to Government of Canada: Urgent Call to Action in Response to the Afghanistan Crisis
Prime Minister and Ministers: this urgent situation requires an immediate, multi-faceted, and focused response. Afghans at risk, such as female judges, are in hiding and are being actively pursued by released prisoners, Taliban officials, and ISIS-Khorasan. Afghanistan continues to fall into a deepening crisis where individuals are left at the mercy of the Taliban, often without the essentials needed to meet basic sustenance needs.
Just days into the mandate of the new Cabinet, its members are called upon to deal with this crisis. Yet moments of crisis can offer extraordinary opportunity. They invite us to reveal who Canadians are. The effective and safe evacuation of vulnerable individuals from Afghanistan will help illustrate the values and priorities of the newly-elected government. It will also demonstrate the compassion and humanity of Canadians while invoking a collective sense of purpose.
As the new Cabinet begins its important work, the signatories eagerly await a meaningful response to this letter, and the signatories undertake to do everything they can to assist the government in the achievement of these vital goals.

29 October
How Sean Fraser became Canada’s immigration minister
Sean Fraser got into politics to create opportunities in the community where he grew up, now he is the minister responsible for Canadian immigration.
During the pandemic, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has accumulated a backlog of hundreds of thousands of applicants. This past summer, the Toronto Star reported there were more than 561,000 permanent residency applications to process, 748,000 temporary residence applications, and 376,000 citizenship applications. These figures do not include applications that were sitting in the mailroom, and not yet entered into the system.

26 October
Government data breach exposes Afghans to more danger
IRCC quietly apologizes for leaking names and some faces of several hundred at-risk Afghans
(CBC) The names of several hundred vulnerable Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban were recently leaked in emails sent in error by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), CBC News has learned.
The Afghans in question fear reprisals from the Taliban, who took over the country in August. Some are in hiding because of past roles in the Afghan government, armed forces, judiciary, or as human rights or women’s rights activists.
One email seen by CBC News listed 200 names. Not only did names and emails appear but also, in some cases, faces could be seen.
The risks of such a release are serious. It would only be necessary for the Taliban to see a single copy of the email to obtain all 200 names.
IRCC has been writing to the people in question to apologize.

25 October
‘A dysfunctional process’: Thousands of Canada’s allies and their families still stranded in Afghanistan
Tom Blackwell
(National Post) The government set up a special immigration program in June to expedite the admission of such Afghans with “enduring relationships” to Canada. Relatively few made it onto the C-17 Globemaster planes the Canadian Forces flew out of Kabul this summer as the Taliban seized control of the country.
The government set up a special immigration program in June to expedite the admission of such Afghans with “enduring relationships” to Canada. Relatively few made it onto the C-17 Globemaster planes the Canadian Forces flew out of Kabul this summer as the Taliban seized control of the country.
Shifting rules from Pakistan — a long-time ally of the Taliban — on what documentation is needed to cross its border with Afghanistan explains some of the delays.
But many applicants are still waiting for final approval from Canada. And some have yet to even receive a response from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), their helpers say.
In total since the program began, IRCC has approved 9,500 ex-workers and their dependents to come to Canada, said Alex Cohen, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.
Cohen said 1,000 “refugees” have been brought to Canada since the air evacuation ended. Most were former employees under the special program, but some arrived under a separate Canadian initiative for “vulnerable” Afghans with no particular connection to this country.
Cohen said the government has added staff to key missions overseas to try to expedite the process, has cut some red tape and is working closely with neighbouring countries.
Canada promised to take in 20,000-40,000 Afghan refugees. Where are they?
Justin Trudeau has yet to clarify how many Afghans will receive government assistance and how many will be supported through private sponsorship

27 September
Canada Doubles Its Afghan Refugee Resettlement Target to 40,000 People
The official announcement was made by Canada’s foreign minister on Monday evening, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly.
(NYT) Canada has doubled to 40,000 the number of Afghans fleeing the Taliban that it plans to take in, the Canadian foreign minister said Monday, fulfilling a campaign pledge made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The announcement, which came a week after Mr. Trudeau’s party won re-election, was certain to be welcomed by humanitarian groups in Canada. They had been pressing the government to do significantly more when it initially committed last month to take in 20,000 refugees after the Taliban swept into power

10 September
Escape from Afghanistan
The Globe and Mail tells the story of how Canadian journalists saved their Afghan colleagues in the nick of time, with Ukraine’s help.
… The Canadian army, which ended its mission in Afghanistan in 2011 but redeployed special forces troops to Kabul airport last month to stage its own evacuation, was also unable to rescue many of its own citizens and support staff, let alone those who had worked alongside Canadian media, including The Globe. …Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (or IRCC) had only a vague plan in place, and it buckled swiftly under the sheer volume of Afghan allies in need of evacuation.

3 September
Visa problems persist for international students
Striking diplomats mean delays for processing visa applications
International students studying in Canada are being faced with the possibility of having to leave the country due to an ongoing strike by civil servants who process foreign visa applications.
Eight years ago, different government/same problem
Foreign service strike slowing down visa applications