Canada has a rich history of accepting refugees who are compelled to leave their home countries in search of safety elsewhere. Due to continuous wars in their home countries, their identity, views, or religion, refugees frequently face violence and persecution and have their fundamental human rights revoked.
Canada’s refugee protection system provides refugees a haven and a fresh start in their new nation. However, finding safety in this vast nation is complex. By outlining the conditions to immigrate to Canada as a refugee, this article will assist you at this trying time and give you a better understanding of your options.
Understanding the Canadian Refugee Process
A crucial road map for anyone looking for safety and shelter inside Canada’s borders is the refugee process. This complex system seeks to guarantee that people seeking protection from violence, persecution, or other forms of damage do so in an equitable and caring manner.
The process involves the Immigration and Refugee Board (I.R.B.), an impartial administrative body that determines a person’s refugee status and thoroughly evaluates asylum requests.
The process includes:
- Initial application.
- Eligibility assessment.
- Interviews.
- Document verification.
- Medical and security checks.
- The final determination.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Refugee
It would help if you first made a refugee claim in or outside Canada to obtain refugee protection in Canada. You can make a refugee claim in Canada at any port of entry when you arrive by land, boat, or plane, and the Canada Border Services Agency (C.B.S.A.) will decide if you are eligible to make a refugee claim in Canada. If you are sponsored by the Canadian government or a private group, you can make a refugee claim outside Canada.
Private Sponsorship
Private sponsorship is where a private organization such as a church or community group takes responsibility for refugees coming to Canada. They often will help refugees throughout the asylum process, from filling out paperwork and providing guidance and emotional support to assisting them in integrating into Canadian society and finding them living accommodations when they arrive. Private sponsors will also contribute financially to refugees’ travel, accommodation, food, and other living expenses for 12 months or until the refugee becomes self-sufficient.
Government Sponsorship and Financial Support
To be eligible for sponsorship from the Canadian government, you must be referred for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (U.N.H.C.R.) or another organization. You cannot apply by yourself.
Once accepted, you can come to Canada as a government-assisted refugee and receive support up to one year from your arrival or until you can support yourself, whichever comes first.
The support you will receive from the government includes:
- Allowances for food and clothing
- Income support
- Temporary housing
- Help to find employment
- Help to find permanent housing
- Orientation to Canada and your new community
Criteria to Immigrate to Canada as a Refugee
Canada offers refugee protection to individuals forced to leave their country of origin for fear of persecution or danger. Examples of danger that you would face include:
- Torture
- Risk of death
- Risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment
If you are at risk of any of the above examples, should you return to your home country, you may be eligible for refugee protection in Canada. However, only some can make a refugee claim.
A person is not eligible for refugee protection if:
- You have made a refugee claim in Canada before.
- You have already been recognized as a refugee in another country that is considered safe to return to.
- You arrived in Canada by coming through a designated safe third country.
- You were found inadmissible based on security, serious criminality, organized criminality, or violating human or international rights.
Safe Third Country Agreement
The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States requires asylum seekers to make a refugee claim in the first safe country they arrive in. So, for example, if you attempt to seek asylum in Canada after first entering the U.S., you will not be eligible for refugee protection and will have to return and file for protection in the U.S.
What Happens After You Apply for Refugee Protection
After applying for refugee protection, if you are eligible for refugee status, you will get a referral to the Refugee Protection Division (R.P.D.) of the Immigration and Refugee Board (I.R.B.) to have your case heard at a refugee hearing. By the end of your hearing, the I.R.B. will have decided your refugee status, and you will have your claim denied or accepted.
If your claim is accepted, you will receive Convention Refugee status and will eventually be able to apply for permanent residency. If your application is rejected, you can appeal the decision.
What distinguishes a Refugee Claimant and a Resettled Refugee?
Resettled refugees:
- Become refugees under the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program through private or public sponsorship.
- Upon arrival in Canada, they are checked overseas and become permanent residents.
- In addition to having access to income support from the federal government or private sponsors for their first year of settlement, they can lawfully work as soon as they arrive.
- They can choose from a variety of settlement supports.
- Are qualified for additional subsidies such as insured benefits for improved health services and the same provincial and federal social assistance programs as other citizens and permanent residents.
Refugee claimants (asylum claimants):
- They can claim refugee status at a port of entry or an inland office within Canada. After screening, whether they can proceed with a claim there or not is decided.
- Possess only the status of temporary resident.
- Request that the Immigration and Refugee Board look into their claim. (I.R.B.). Only if they are deemed to fit the definition of Convention refugee will they have the option of applying for Permanent Residency.
- They are qualified to submit a request for a temporary work permit.
- They can use some, but not all, settlement services for permanent residents and refugees who have been resettled.
- They are eligible for a range of provincial and federal services, such as health care, labor market integration programs, and community resources.
- They can also apply for Employment and Income Assistance (E.I.A.).
Receiving a Decision on a Refugee Claim
Positive decision
After being granted refugee status and access to all federally sponsored settlement services, claimants obtain a favorable ruling on their application. In most situations, a favorable Pre-Removal Risk Assessment decision also grants the individual protected person status. People can remain in Canada and apply to become citizens. Among these assistance offerings are:
- Requires assessment and referrals,
- Information and guidance to assist immigrants in making well-informed settlement decisions,
- language assessment and training to help adult newcomers function in Canadian society and contribute to the economy,
- support for finding and retaining employment, including referrals to assess foreign credentials and
- providing connections whereby newcomers can meet people and better integrate into their new communities.
Negative decision
Let’s say the Refugee Protection Division denies a claim. In that scenario, people can challenge the ruling before the I.R.B.’s Refugee Appeal Division. If they are not eligible to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division, they can request a review of the verdict from the Federal Court.
The conditional removal order issued when the refugee claim was lodged becomes enforceable to allow the individuals to be removed once all appeal procedures have been exhausted. Social aid may only be available to successful refugee claimants under removal orders, depending on the province.
Final Thoughts
Canada is the ideal place to call home if you’re searching for a welcoming, safe community with many chances for a better life. Obtaining expert counsel and help is advisable if you are a refugee looking for a safe place to live. In addition to offering counsel and direction on the actions you must take to establish your new residence, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (R.C.I.C.) may assist you in understanding Canada’s refugee system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get P.R. in Canada for refugees?
If you are chosen for refugee resettlement in Canada, you will be issued a Certificate of Permanent Residence (C.O.P.R.). A few weeks after you arrive in Canada, your Permanent Resident card will arrive by mail.
How long does it take for refugees to get citizenship in Canada?
Refugees who get permanent residency in Canada can seek citizenship a few years after completing the requirements. You must have spent at least 1,095 days physically present in Canada in the five years before the date on which you filed for citizenship to be eligible. You must have spent at least two years (730 days) permanently residing in Canada.
Your physical presence in Canada is determined by adding half a day for each day you were physically present as a protected person or authorized temporary resident before becoming a permanent resident.
Can a refugee buy a house in Canada?
All liberties and privileges granted to permanent residency holders, including the ability to purchase and possess property, are yours once you enter Canada as a refugee. However, Canadian real estate can be rather pricey. Typically, it takes time for immigrants to Canada to establish a solid credit history and become mortgage-eligible.