Jason Kenney has revealed plans to reduce the number of refugees Canadians will be able to sponsor under the (PSR) program.
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08 April 2011
Concerns raised over proposed changes to Canada's refugee policy
A letter from Jason Kenney, Canadian Immigration Minister, sent to non-profit organisations that sponsor refugees, revealed plans to reduce the number of refugees Canadians will be able to sponsor under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.
It is reported that the government will also be ending all agreements with Sponsorship Agreement Holders at the end of the year.
The news has been received with disappointment by many. Director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, Janet Dench, said: “Putting a cap on the number of refugee applications can mean putting a limit on the generosity of Canadians”, while Martin Mark, director of the Office of Refugees for the Archdiocese of Toronto added: “(Sponsorship Agreement Holders) put $37 million annually into this program. At this level, we should expect respect from the government in how to manage our program, and how to implement our program.”
These changes are reported despite the number of refugees arriving in Canada declining year-on-year since 2005. Kenney claims that the Canadian Immigration department needs to put limits on applications to clear backlogs and establish a balance between Government targets and the number of applications submitted. However, sponsor organisations say the backlog is on the side of the government. “The backlog (in Africa) has been created by consistently refusing to have a target that is commensurate with the region,” said Dench.
The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people make their Canada Visa application to the Canadian Embassy.
