Canadians with loved ones caught in the earthquake zone in Turkiye and Syria are calling on Canada to fast-track family reunification applications so they can bring their relatives to safety in Canada.
The catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that slammed southwestern Asia is adding to the misery of Syrian refugees who fled to Turkiye to escape civil war.
Frustration with Canada’s immigration system is compounding Shwikh’s concerns. She applied to sponsor her sister under the family reunification category in 2021. Shwikh says Zahra had already completed her security and medical checks in July of last year and was waiting for Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada to issue travel documents when the earthquake struck. Shwikh wants IRCC to issue the travel permits now, so her sister can get to Canada.
Currently the only existing immigration pathways for those who qualify in the region are through family reunification and parent or grandparent super visa applications, IRCC said. SURVIVOR'S 'GUILT' IN CANADAwas a key plank of the Liberal party’s platform in that year’s election and arguably helped them sweep to power.
Chabouq is pleading for the Canadian government not just to fast-track the processing of existing immigration applications, but to reduce the financial requirements so more Syrians can sponsor loved ones. In 2010, the federal Conservative government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper accepted applications from Haitians impacted by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Thousands of permanent resident applications and temporary visasBut Ottawa immigration lawyer Warren Creates is sceptical that will happen in the current political and economic climate. Creates says the 2010 measures were driven by a large and politically-connected group of Haitian-Canadians, concentrated mainly in Quebec.
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