A family-based humanitarian program directed by the federal government at facilitating immigration from Haiti, Colombia, and Venezuela hit capacity as of December 30, 2023, less than two months after its launch. This caused many critics to point out the inequitable approach to immigration being followed by the country’s immigration department.
Humanitarian Program for Haitians, Venezuelans, and Colombians Reaches Capacity
A family-based humanitarian program directed by the federal government at facilitating immigration from Haiti, Colombia, and Venezuela hit capacity less than two months after its launch.
The program was announced in October last year, with IRCC Minister Marc Miller saying that “earlier this year, we announced that we will welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere. 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.”
He announced Canada’s plan of welcoming up to 11,000 Colombians, Haitians, and Venezuelans who live in South or Central America, Mexico, or the Caribbean, through a new humanitarian permanent residence pathway.
Those looking to immigrate through the program were also required to have a family member in Canada who can act as an anchor by being:
- a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- their spouse, common-law partner, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling
- willing to support their application
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Miller promised enhanced pre-arrival services for accepted applicants, including an employment skills assessment and a referral to a settlement provider organization in their intended community.
The following month, on November 17, the program was officially launched. By the end of December, however, it had reached capacity.
This is yet another display of IRCC’s discriminatory immigration practises, according to some experts in the field. The department has already been criticized for its handling of visas for 1,000 Palestinians, reports CBC news. In comparison, Ottawa had issued close to one million temporary emergency visas to Ukrainians fleeing the war there since March 2022.
IRCC spokesperson Julie Lafortune told CBC in an e-mail that “immigration responses are tailored to each different context to meet the unique needs of those who require our support.”
While she said that program intake caps are standard practice, she did not exactly explain how individual responses are tailored.
While IRCC does provide flexibility for applicants “unable to provide certain documents at the time of applying,” it is contingent upon the program remaining open, she further added, as per CBC reporter Nicole Williams.
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Ottawa declared in its October 10 announcement that in addition to its commitment to welcome 15,000 migrants, it is “on track to meet our goal to increase refugee resettlement from the Americas, and continue to lend our support to the implementation of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, and to the North American Leaders’ Summits.”
““We are increasing our assistance for capacity-building efforts in the region by investing $75 million over six years for projects across Latin America and the Caribbean. These projects focus on strengthening asylum capacity and better integrating migrants and refugees into local communities and labour markets.”
As part of the program to welcome people from Haiti, Colombia, and Venezuela, IRCC required the designated Canadian anchor to provide them with a statutory declaration that states:
- they plan to help the applicant and any family members that come with them to Canada for 1 year
- they have not (and will not) accept any money from the applicant or their family members
