To:
Case processing center - Mississauga
2 Robert Speck Pkwy, Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.
365 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario. K1A 1L1
Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
280 Albert St, Suite 401, Ottawa, ON Canada K1P 5G8
Re: Petition to inform about significant processing delays of In-Canada applications for Permanent Residence under Protected persons class
This letter is the last hope for hundreds of refugees whose applications for Permanent Residence are still under the process after over 2 years of wait. We prepared a collective letter to be sent to the Case Processing Center – Mississauga, Minister of Immigration, Prime Minister of Canada, local Ministers of Parliament and UNHCR to be heard. We know that there are hundreds of other applicants awaiting for their decisions under Permanent Residence application, and we speak on behalf of everyone.
All of us are from different countries, ethnicities, cultures, we follow different religions, speak different languages, but we have one very important thing in common. Hundreds of refugees that came to Canada share one pain – significant processing delays of our applications.
We understand that worldwide pandemic has a negative and destroying impact not only on a Canadian economy, but also on Immigration system. We appreciate that during this hardship Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada offices continue to work and render decisions; Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada continues to make decisions on immigration and refugee matters; Canada Border Services Agency protects Canadian society and work at full capacity to facilitate the flow of legitimate travellers. We appreciate your work, but at the same time we want to understand if our files are at least progressing. We can see how many applicants that submitted their applications in late 2019 and 2020 are being approved. We are happy for those people, but at the same time we feel lost and forgotten. Many of us haven’t heard anything from IRCC since November-December 2019. We wake up every morning with a hope to get at least any update regarding our applications. We keep calling IRCC call center asking same questions and getting just one response related to COVID delays. We continue contacting IRCC via Webform getting the same response. We keep calling local Ministers of Parliament, and ordering GCMS notes, but the feeling is becoming just stronger.
We understand that all cases are different, and certain countries background check may take longer, but after 2 years of wait without updates we start losing hope in our future.
According to new immigration strategy that Canadian Government has announced earlier in 2020, Canada is to welcome over a million of new immigrants in 2021-2023. New immigration plan outlines the number of new permanent residents Canada aims to welcome over the coming years, and what categories Canada aims to admit them under.Numbers for Refugees, protected persons and H&C Applicants are planning to be between 43,500 to 68,000 applicants in 2021. Important question that is bothering hundreds of refugees whose applications have already exceeded normal processing times – is there at least any chance that we can be included in these numbers?
We understand that it’s a greatest gift for all of us that we are already in Canada, and this country became a safe haven for us, persons with a well-founded fear of persecution or those who are at risk of torture or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
But at the same time, one of the main Objectives of immigration with regards to refugees is to support the self-efficiency, and social and economic well-being of refugees by facilitating reunification with their family members in Canada (as per section 2(2)(f) of Immigration and refugee protection act). Many of us has being apart from their family members for many years. Many refugees left their countries of origin and left their spouses, kids, parents… We know based on our personal experience a killing feeling when you haven’t seen your kids for 2,4,6 years. Some of us haven’t seen first steps of our children, achievements at school, haven’t heard first words…Many of us have already used to see children through the phone screen. Being apart from people that we love is a horrible feeling that burns us from inside.
That is the most important and emotional part of the story.
For many applicants it’s not just about the question of family reunification. We want to feel that we are a part of all the aspects of social and economic parts of Canadian society, we the same rights as all the Permanent residents have.
Many of us are well-educated, employed, pay taxes, do not take advantages of social assistance programs, and are trying to become economically established. Some of us has already got a Canadian education, built a career, established businesses. We cannot apply for a mortgage with fair percentage rate, some of us cannot go through professional licensing or hold certain jobs that are available only for Permanent Residents or Citizens, we cannot apply for fairly small business loans programs or build a developed credit history since only Permanent residents are eligible for certain financial instruments. Maybe for some people it sounds ridiculous, but that’s a part of our lives. We build economy of Canada together with all residents and immigrants. Another Immigration objective is reflected in section 3(1)(c) of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions of Canada. We want to be a part of this development, as well as we want to feel that finally, after long years of wait, we are a part of the Canadian society.
With this letter we want to be heard and understand that:
1. Our applications are not marked as “not urgent” with a meaning that we can waiting for additional unknown number of months;
2. We are a part of equal and fair process of reviewing applications for Permanent Residence;
3. Our applications will be finalized within the reasonable timeline after getting this letter.
