The refugee system in Canada

Tradition of humanitarian action

Our compassion and fairness are a source of great pride for Canadians.

These values are at the core of our domestic refugee protection system and our resettlement program. Both programs have long been praised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Refugees are people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of widespread persecution, and who are unable to return home. Many refugees come from war-torn countries and have seen unthinkable horrors.

A refugee is different from an immigrant, in that an immigrant is a person who chooses to settle permanently in another country. Refugees are forced to flee.

Canadian refugee protection programs

The Canadian refugee system has two main parts:

• the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for people seeking protection from outside Canada; and
• the In-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada.

Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

Canada operates a global resettlement program which, in 2009 alone, resettled refugees from over 70 different nationalities.

There are about 10.5 million refugees in the world today. Every year, approximately 20 countries resettle about 100,000 refugees. From that number, Canada annually resettles 10,000 to 12,000, or one out of every 10 refugees resettled globally.

As a member of the international community, Canada helps find solutions to prolonged and emerging refugee situations and helps emerging democracies try to solve many of the problems that create refugee populations. To do this, Canada works closely with the UNHCR.

In 2006, for example, Canada began resettling Karen refugees. It has now welcomed more than 3,900 Karen refugees from some of the most remote camps in Thailand.

Canada is also in the process of resettling up to 5,000 Bhutanese refugees over the next few years.

In-Canada Asylum Program

Refugees come from around the world and many make their claims in Canada. The number of people arriving varies from year to year. In 2009, more than 33,200 people came to Canada seeking asylum.

The asylum program works to provide refugee protection to people in Canada who are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries.

Not everyone is eligible to seek asylum. For example, people convicted of serious criminal offences and people who have had previous refugee claims denied by Canada are not accepted.

Integration services

Refugees—resettled from overseas or granted protection in Canada—often do not have the resources to easily establish themselves. All refugees are entitled to basic health services and settlement support.

Resettled refugees get initial assistance from either the federal government, the Province of Quebec, or private sponsors (organizations or groups of people in Canada).

These programs are a key part of helping refugees and other newcomers settle in Canada. This is why, since 2006, the Government of Canada has tripled immigrant settlement funding.

CIC funds several programs that help newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society. These programs are delivered in partnership with the provinces, territories and service-providing organizations, and include:

• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, which provides basic French or English language training to newcomers;
• the Enhanced Language Training initiative, which encompasses both occupation-specific language training and employability assistance;
• In some countries, Canadian Orientation Abroad sessions, which are offered to immigrants and refugees who have been selected for permanent resident status so that they will have some familiarity with life in Canada before their arrival; and
• the Resettlement Assistance Program, which offers financial support and immediate essential services such as temporary accommodation, as well as assistance in finding permanent accommodation and financial orientation.

Conclusion

Finding who is in need of Canada’s protection is a process that must take into consideration the responsibility of helping those in genuine need while protecting the system against those who seek to abuse it. The health and safety of Canadians must also be ensured.

Our refugee protection programs have helped refugees bring their experiences and skills and their hopes and dreams to Canada which, in turn, has contributed to an even richer and more prosperous society for us all.