How does the refugee resettlement process work?

[RJ10]

Hi there,

I have a question regarding how the refugee resettlement process works. There are sections on Canada Immigration and Citizenship website (www.cic.gc.ca) where refugees who were referred by referral organizations can apply to come to Canada as refugees. (It says: apply as a Convention refugee or as a humanitarian-protected person abroad).

Elsewhere, I read that ONLY the UNHCR can decide where a refugee will be resettled and refugees don't have a say in the matter. If I apply via www.cic.gc.ca as a convention refugee (after getting refugee status outside of my country) to be resettled in Canada, will the UNHCR still be searching for a third country that would be willing to accept me? Which procedure takes precedence over the other?

Also, if I am able to fully support myself due to self-employment (freelancing) and savings, how would that affect my situation? And what are my chances of my application for resettlement in Canada being accepted compared to government-assisted or privately sponsored refugees?

Thank you!

 

[Buletruck]

if you are applying as a refugee from outside of your home country, the UNHCR will solicit country's to accept you as a refugee. The refugee gets no choice in the matter. The referral organizations they refer is generic and relates to after they have gone trough the processing. There is no means to directly apply as a refugee outside of Canada. you have to be physically in Canada to claim refugee status in the country directly.

 

[RJ10]

if you are applying as a refugee from outside of your home country, the UNHCR will solicit country's to accept you as a refugee. The refugee gets no choice in the matter. The referral organizations they refer is generic and relates to after they have gone trough the processing. There is no means to directly apply as a refugee outside of Canada. you have to be physically in Canada to claim refugee status in the country directly.

Have you checked the link that I posted? It literally says: Applying as a Convention Refugee or as a Humanitarian-Protected Person Abroad.

Also, it says: "You can also be a Convention refugee if you have the funds needed to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada."

When you are already in Canada, you can no longer apply as a refugee. What you would seek inside a country like Canada is not refugee status. It is called asylum, which is totally different.

 

[Buletruck]

Did you read it? You can't just send an application in. You have to be referred by one of the designated organizations, who will submit your information to a number of countries. Not just Canada! You don't get to pick!

Determine your eligibility
To come to Canada as a refugee, you must be referred. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a designated referral organization, or a private sponsorship group can refer you. You cannot apply directly to us as a refugee.

To be referred, you must fall into one of these two refugee classes.

1) Convention refugee abroad class
You may be in this class if you:

• are outside your home country,
• cannot return there due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on
  • race
  • religion
  • political opinion
  • nationality, or
  • membership in a particular social group. Examples: gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Convention refugees can be sponsored by:

• the Government of Canada (government-assisted refugees),
• a group of people or an organization (privately sponsored refugees), or
• a mix of both (blended visa office-referred refugees).

You can also be a Convention refugee if you have the funds needed to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will still need the UNHCR, a referral organization, or a private sponsorship group to refer you.

2) Country of asylum class
You may be in this class if you:

• are outside your home country, or the country where you normally live, and
• have been seriously affected by civil war or armed conflict, or
• have been denied basic human rights on an ongoing basis.

Country of asylum class refugees can be privately sponsored. You can also be in this class if you have the funds you need to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will still need the UNHCR, a referral organization, or a private sponsorship group to refer you.

 

[scylla]

The UNHCR piece is a requirement.

If you want to be able to select where you immigrate, you should check out Canada's economic immigration programs like Express Entry rather than going the refugee route. Details here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

 

[McDan]

Did you read it? You can't just send an application in. You have to be referred by one of the designated organizations, who will submit your information to a number of countries. Not just Canada! You don't get to pick!

Determine your eligibility
To come to Canada as a refugee, you must be referred. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a designated referral organization, or a private sponsorship group can refer you. You cannot apply directly to us as a refugee.

To be referred, you must fall into one of these two refugee classes.

1) Convention refugee abroad class
You may be in this class if you:

• are outside your home country,
• cannot return there due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on
  • race
  • religion
  • political opinion
  • nationality, or
  • membership in a particular social group. Examples: gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Convention refugees can be sponsored by:

• the Government of Canada (government-assisted refugees),
• a group of people or an organization (privately sponsored refugees), or
• a mix of both (blended visa office-referred refugees).

You can also be a Convention refugee if you have the funds needed to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will still need the UNHCR, a referral organization, or a private sponsorship group to refer you.

2) Country of asylum class
You may be in this class if you:

• are outside your home country, or the country where you normally live, and
• have been seriously affected by civil war or armed conflict, or
• have been denied basic human rights on an ongoing basis.

Country of asylum class refugees can be privately sponsored. You can also be in this class if you have the funds you need to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will still need the UNHCR, a referral organization, or a private sponsorship group to refer you.

At buletruck.....I have been reading up your various threads and I see you are so resourceful and very helpful. Thank you a lot. Please, I have 2 yrs visit visa to USA and I truly don't want to return to my country because of the persecution. Am being forced to join a terrorist group for which my life is threatened by assassination if I don't join. Now, am tinking of crossing over from US to Canada and declare asylum. Do you think I can scale through the claims?

 

[Buletruck]

You can certainly try, but I suspect that your chances for a successful refugee application are very low. As you are in the US, the Safe Third Country agreement will likely apply (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp). There is a significant possibility of being turned back to the US when you apply. The other issue is that you seem to have been in the US for some time now (imcluding overstaying) which will also be a determining factor. As a refugee applicant, you are expected to have applied at your first opportunity in the first safe country in which you land. There will be significant questions as to why you waited so long to apply and why you didn't apply in the US. Personally, Your best option is to apply in the US.

 

[McDan]

You can certainly try, but I suspect that your chances for a successful refugee application are very low. As you are in the US, the Safe Third Country agreement will likely apply (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/menu-safethird.asp). There is a significant possibility of being turned back to the US when you apply. The other issue is that you seem to have been in the US for some time now (imcluding overstaying) which will also be a determining factor. As a refugee applicant, you are expected to have applied at your first opportunity in the first safe country in which you land. There will be significant questions as to why you waited so long to apply and why you didn't apply in the US. Personally, Your best option is to apply in the US.

Ok . thanks for your response. Also, my older brother who has smar issue as me is hidding away in our country cos of he wants to protect his family and has not even used up his two yrs USA visa ehis has jus about 6 months left as mine. He told me this morning he wil leave for US soon, leaving his family in his parents care until further notice and from US, as I planned, he wil cross over to Canada via border and seek asylum. Do you think his plan is OK too of as dicey as mine?

 

[Buletruck]

Same situation will apply if he land in the US first. He will be expected to apply in the first country of entry (the US). Any reason in particular you haven't (or don't want to apply in the US)?

 

[McDan]

Same situation will apply if he land in the US first. He will be expected to apply in the first country of entry (the US). Any reason in particular you haven't (or don't want to apply in the US)?

Actually, I prefer Canada anytime, anyday. Just cos it was nt going to be easy getting Canadian visa, I had to opt for US and with trump now, I rili dny know wat US asylum wud luk like honestly. Canada is better and note accommodating.