Canada (Commonwealth) _ Many Canadians of Sudanese descent are rushing to get their relatives to safety under a new federal program for Canadians’ family members fleeing Sudan’s civil war, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which recently revealed a fresh entry pathway for families affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Despite the fact that the conflict has forced millions of Sudanese to flee their homes, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is only accepting a maximum of 3,250 applications. Applications from single candidates or families would be accepted starting today, February 27, when the application period officially opened.
The successful candidates of this new family sponsorship channel will be granted permanent residency (PR). The IRCC has said that for those who are granted permanent residency through this route, it will waive the right of permanent residence cost and offer free settling assistance.
People have to use the PR site to apply. Submission of all required paperwork is required, including papers and statements from the anchor. Ashraf alTahir Ahmed fears his parents would pass away if he is unable to get them out of Sudan.
The president of the Sudanese Canadian Community Association, Ahmed, said, “To tell you the truth, I cannot figure out the rationale behind [the cap]”. “3,250 is little when considering the extent of the impact on people. We value the IRCC’s potential, however we consider this to be the first step.
As It Happens requested an interview with Immigration Minister Marc Miller, but Miller rejected. In an email, IRCC spokesman Jeffrey MacDonald stated that intake limitations are “standard practice in public policies” and that they are determined by a variety of variables, such as the availability of resources and other immigration options.
The one-year trial of the new permanent residence track, which was unveiled last month, began on Tuesday. It is available to siblings, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. One applicant and their immediate family members may be included on each application.
According to Miller, Canada will keep up its humanitarian traditions and assist individuals in need, as stated in a statement released in December to announce the initiative. This humanitarian route will save lives and aid in the reunion of loved ones. However, according to Huwaida Medani, it’s “not at all a humanitarian effort.
The Halifax lady tried to bring in her brother, his wife, and their six children, and she spent the whole day handling complicated piles of paperwork. It has taken a full-time effort to locate each applicant’s copious documents. She claims that in one instance, her brother had to pass through a conflict area for 700 kilometers in order to obtain a police certificate.
Everyone she knows, she claims, is in the same situation. She believes that only those with the means to retain attorneys will be selected from among the tens of thousands of applications the program receives. I think there’s a raw bone presented to us, the Canadian-Sudanese, and whomever has the leverage—the finest internet connection, the best living conditions for their family—can seize that bone, she added. This has been really taxing, and I’m exhausted and upset.
The government is being urged to relax the paperwork requirements by the Sudanese Canadian Communities Association. I am aware that a great deal of folks are experiencing this without any paperwork. People, Ahmed added, had to run for their lives.
The world’s worst displacement catastrophe
Since April 2023, when fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces disrupted the planned transfer to a civilian administration, Sudan has been at war. Sudan currently has more displaced persons than any other nation in the world, including war-torn Syria and Ukraine. Since then, the situation has dramatically deteriorated.
Although figures differ, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NCR), an assistance organization, estimates that the conflict has caused nine million internal displacement in Sudan and prompted an additional 1.7 million people to depart the nation. 17,485 Canadians identified Sudan as their country of ethnic or cultural origin, according to Census 2021 data. Of them, 4,690 are recent immigrants to Canada who claim Sudan as their birthplace.
