Evaluation of Government Assisted Refugees (GAR) and Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
Appendix D: Background to identification and selection
Background to refugee identification and selection
Article 1 convention amended by 1967 protocol refugee definition: “A person owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable or, owing to such a fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.”
Durable solution: “A solution that allows refugees to rebuild their lives in dignity and peace. There are three solutions open to refugees: voluntary repatriation; local integration; or resettlement to a third country in situations where it is impossible for a person to go back home or remain in the host country.”
Canadian refugee classes:
Convention refugees abroad: Persons qualifying under the United Nations Convention with no reasonable prospect within a reasonable period of time, of a durable solution
Humanitarian-protected persons abroad
- Country of asylum class: People in refugee like situations who do not qualify as Convention refugees but are outside their country of nationality or habitual residence, have no reasonable prospect within a reasonable period of time, of a durable solution and:
- have received private sponsorship; or
- have sufficient financial resources to provide for themselves and family members; or
- have been, and continue to be “seriously and personally affected” by civil or armed conflict or a massive violation of human rights in their country of nationality or habitual residence.
- Source country class: People whose country of nationality or habitual residence is Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Sierra Leone or Sudan. The person must be living in the country of at the time of application for protection and the country still must be considered a source country by Canada when their application is approved. The person must be:
- Seriously and personally affected by civil or armed conflict in the country; and
- Must be or have be detained or imprisoned in that country; or
- Subject to some other recurring form of punishment as a direct result of acts which, if committed in Canada, would be considered legitimate expressions of free thought or legitimate exercise of civil right pertaining to dissent or trade union activity; or
- Must meet Convention refugee definition with the exception that they are living in their country of nationality or habitual residence; and
- There must be no reasonable prospect, within a reasonable period of time, of a durable solution.
Identification Methods:
Source Country
UNHCR identified and referred refugee
- Prima Facie eligibility: Group determination of refugee status whereby each member of the population in question is regarded Prima Facie (in the absence of evidence or evidence to the contrary) as a refugee Associated with the need to provide protection urgently.
- Criteria for determining resettlement as the appropriate solution: UNHCR utilizes eight criteria for determining resettlement as the appropriate solution for refugees: Legal and Physical Protection Needs, Survivors of Violence and Torture, Medical Needs, Women-at-Risk, Family Reunification, Children and Adolescents, Older Refugees, Refugees without Local Integration Prospects.
Processing Methods:
Group processing: Utilization of the UNHCR Prima Facie definition of refugees to allow processing of a large number of a specific group of refugees at the same time
Individual processing: processing of refugees one person or family at a time
Refugee Source:
Refugee camp: Temporary settlement built to meet basic needs and receive refugees for a limited time period
Urban: Refugees residing in an urban setting at the time of their application. May have access to UNHCR refugee resources.
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