Stringent new immigration policies in Canada could begin to strain its relationship with the US.
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16 January 2012
New Canadian immigration policies may affect the US
Canadian immigration policy has long been considered as one of the most generous and relaxed in the world. However, the Canadian Conservative government has recently begun tightening restrictions on immigration and tracking down illegal immigrants, leading some analysts to warn that the new policy is likely to affect the United States.
Some analysts have claimed that the United States can expected thousands of application for asylum from immigrants deported from Canada. Yet, despite a 2004 agreement between the US and Canada which prevents new arrivals in either country entering the other to claim asylum, US immigration officials have confirmed that asylum claimants who have had their applications for refugee protection turned down by Canadian immigration authorities will not be automatically turned down at the US border.
The Canadian government plans to implement a $540 million (£352 million) 'balanced refugee reform' program at the end of June to hasten the asylum review process and tackle the 42,000 strong backlog of refugee cases.
The stringent new measures will require asylum applicants to be given a hearing within a maximum of 90 days and the majority of appeals within 120 days while an increased level of enforcement will see many more deportations of asylum seekers who fail to prove they would face persecution if sent home.
"If you deprive a large number of people of asylum options, they're going to look for the next place to go, in large numbers." said Richard Kurland, an immigration policy analyst and attorney in Vancouver.
"So it is utterly incomprehensible to not figure out that come June-July 2012, when the new rules kick in, there will be a drive to seek sanctuary somewhere else, such as the largest neighbour in North America."
A spokesman for the US Customs and Border Protection office in Seattle which supervises the US-Canada border claims that "anybody seeking asylum or claiming a credible fear of persecutions gets to articulate their case to an asylum officer. We would take them into detention and they would have the same right as anyone seeking asylum to a hearing."
However, Canadian immigration officials have dismissed these claims as unclear and stated that it's far more likely anyone at the US border after failing to win asylum in Canada would be quickly returned to Canada and deported.
The US has expressed doubts that the number of failed asylum seekers at the US border will drastically increase, as they expect that Canada will allow some failed applicants to remain in the country under Canada visa exemptions while as many as possible will be deported.
Yet analysts claim the US cannot be sure as to what they can expect as Canada typically only grants 40% of asylum petitions and with 42,000 unresolved cases and almost 125,000 illegal immigrants already targeted for deportation, migration patterns can quickly become unpredictable.
A spokeswoman for the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the country's chief border enforcement agency said "Canada and the US have a strong record of cooperation with respect to migrant, refugee and asylum issues and the management of our shared border".
The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people make their application to the Canadian Embassy.
