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441-00392 (Foreign affairs)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

WHEREAS:

For decades, after risking their lives to help the Canadian Armed Forces, many Afghan interpreters, other collaborators, and their extended families were left in a highly precarious situation, being targeted by the Taliban;

The Government's initial response to help get them to safety was to refer them to existing immigration measures;

This delay in action prolonged the threats and further endangered their lives;

With the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, many are desperate to get to safety, but under the current environment, Afghans are unable to obtain the necessary documentation for travel such as a valid Visa;

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

1. Immediately undertake an emergency immigration measure that grants a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) and temporary travel document while suspending the usual documentation requirements until they are safely in Canada to:

(a) all Afghans and their extended family members who have supported the Canadian military;

(b) Afghan Human rights activists and their extended family;

(c) Afghans with immediate or extended Canadian family members;

2. Expand the family reunification stream to include extended family members;

3. Provide additional allocation of spaces to Sponsorship Agreement Holders; and

4. Open up all privately sponsored refugee streams and waive the requirement for Refugee Status Determination documentation (for Group of Five and Community Sponsors).

Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.

The Government of Canada remains committed to resettling at least 40,000 Afghan nationals. There are several distinct and specialized pathways that we have implemented for Afghan refugees since August 2021. This includes previous commitments and comprises the following: 

  • 18,000 Afghan nationals and their families who closely assisted Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan anticipated through Special Immigration Measures;
  • 5,000 Afghan nationals as part of a special family reunification program launched to help extended family members of former Afghan interpreters who came to Canada under earlier programs in 2009 and 2012. Extended family members that are eligible to apply include: adult children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings of former Afghan interpreters who came to Canada under programs in 2009 and 2012;
  • Additional resettlement for vulnerable afghans (including women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities) through the humanitarian stream, which includes both Government Assisted and Privately Sponsored refugees.  

While the Government is unwavering in its commitment, we are navigating a constantly evolving situation in which the Government of Canada has no military or diplomatic presence. The key persistent challenge is that many Afghans in need of protection are still in Afghanistan, and movement out of the country both by air and by land continues to be very difficult and dangerous. Afghans who wish to flee are faced with a lack of safe, secure and reliable routes out of the country, the absence of stable conditions, and ever-changing circumstances around exit documentation requirements at check points and international crossings into third countries. IRCC carefully assesses and balances security, operational and humanitarian considerations when making decisions on exempting certain visa requirements. For Afghan nationals in third countries, the Government of Canada is already issuing Temporary Residence Permits (TRP) and Single Journey Travel documents (SJTD) to the most vulnerable. A TRP is a document issued by IRCC that allows people who are inadmissible to Canada to enter the country on a temporary basis. A SJTD is issued under certain exceptional circumstances to specified client groups who do not possess an acceptable passport or travel document and are approved for travel to Canada.

It is important to note that SJTDs are only issued to foreign nationals who have been approvedfor resettlement and; SJTD with TRP are issued for entry to Canada and not for entry to third countries.  In order for individuals to leave Afghanistan they must be in possession of travel documents that would be acceptable to both the Afghan authorities for departure and the receiving state for legal entry. While the Government of Canada cannot control the exit and entry requirements of other countries, we monitor developments closely and  we continuously engage with countries in the region as part of our efforts to address challenges with safe passage.

Canada is pursuing a range of options to ensure that international assistance and support for safe passage can continue to be given to vulnerable people in Afghanistan. We continue to work with existing and new referral partners to identify and refer these at-risk individuals, including the UNHCR, Front Line Defenders/Protectdefenders.eu, and sponsorship agreement holders.

Our officials have established new partnerships, and continue to build on existing ones, to address safety and security constraints limiting the mobility of Afghans. In addition to engaging closely with countries in the region and developing new partnerships, IRCC has added more employees and resources in our missions abroad, ensuring individuals qualified for our Special Immigration Measures are quickly processed to completion once out of Afghanistan. Canada’s approach aligns with like-minded countries in their tireless work to assist Afghans in finding safe refuge.IRCC has worked with various partners to date, including Aman Lara to support the movement of Afghan nationals out of Afghanistan. The situation in Afghanistan remains very challenging, and we are truly appreciative for all the work that these organizations and others have done to support this collective effort.

In light of the current situation in Afghanistan, and as an exceptional measure, we will waive the requirement for a Refugee Status Determination for some private sponsorship applications, broadening sponsor access to the program. We are also working with partners to welcome Afghans through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. These are the additional ways we’re continuing to work with the thousands of Canadians across the country who want to help any way they can.

Afghan Nationals who are not eligible for any of our pathways are encouraged to explore other immigration programs they may be eligible via the Government of Canada website.

Presented to the House of Commons
Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East)
April 8, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00392)
Government response tabled
May 30, 2022
Photo - Jenny Kwan
Vancouver East
New Democratic Party Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.