Immigration Department looking into termination of refugee sponsor policy: Diab
OTTAWA — The Immigration Department will monitor for any negative effects from a recent decision not to extend a policy that gave permanent residency sponsorship exemptions to some refugees, Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Wednesday.
OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab has announced that the Immigration Department will investigate any potential negative consequences resulting from the decision to discontinue a refugee sponsor policy that provided exemptions to some refugees. The policy, introduced in 2019, enabled certain refugees to sponsor undeclared family members for permanent residency, but it expired earlier this month and was not renewed.
Diab stated that the department is reviewing the policy's impact, and if any consequences arise, they will be addressed. Initially, immigration officials claimed the policy was discontinued due to "potential integrity concerns," though they did not disclose details or address whether any applicants may have abused the policy. Diab acknowledged the department's findings on integrity concerns and emphasized their commitment to ensuring that the decision does not negatively impact those who genuinely need assistance.
Advocates and academics argue that the policy was mainly utilized to sponsor children and LGBTQ+ partners, with previous reviews indicating that some refugees had legitimate reasons for not declaring family members. Lawyers and advocates maintain that a refugee may not have declared a dependent child if the child was born in a refugee camp after the initial paperwork was submitted, or if a family learned later that a previously believed-dead child was still alive.
All permanent residency applicants are obligated to list all family members and cannot later sponsor any undeclared family members. The department has stated that it will evaluate applications for exemptions on a case-by-case basis through humanitarian and compassionate applications. However, refugees note that the department's website indicates that the wait time for humanitarian and compassionate applications can exceed ten years.
The Canadian Council for Refugees has urged Diab to reconsider her decision, stating that reverting to the previous situation is "inexplicable." A department memo from 2023 described the program's integrity risk as "minimal."
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