Canada, 1st December: Canada will introduce new refugee norms on 15th December this year.
This has been announced by Canada immigration minister Jason Kenney.
Canada’s new refugee system 15th December—Come 15th December and Canada will have a new and much efficient refugee system, said Kenney. Speaking during a press conference in Ottawa on 29th November this year, Kenney informed that this is going to be one of the biggest change in refugee system of the nation.
Giving details about the system, he quipped that the aim of all these changes is to help make the asylum system fairer and faster. He acknowledged the fact that Canada has been quite generous in terms of asylum rules and this led to widespread misuse of the process.
What’s the new Canada asylum system—Following are the changes mentioned in details—
• The new Canadian refugee system will offer faster protection to genuine refugee applicants fleeing persecution.
• Fake or bogus refugee/asylum claimants or those found to be misusing Canada’s generous refugee system will be removed more quickly.
•Failed asylum claimants will get removal orders within one year of the IRB decision. As of now, it normally takes not less than four to five years for removing a failed asylum claimant.
• Ensuring a hearing at independent IRB(Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada) for all eligible refugee or asylum claimants on the basis of their respective individual circumstances.
• Access to recently created RAD(Refugee Appeal Division) will be allowed to majority of applicants. This is being done for the first time in the history of Canada.
• A record period of hearing within a span of 60 days following reference of their claim to the IRB. Prior to these changes, refugee claimants had to keep waiting for as long as 600 days for receiving a hearing.
• Under the new RAD, there will be a provision of a reversing any negative decision given by the IRB in case the proof requires it.
• Refugee claimants from nations producing no refugees(or quite lesser refugees) will have their claims processed faster.
New rules for unfounded refugees—As per the new Canada asylum process becoming effective 15th December, 2012, asylum claimants from 23 nations will be considered to be ‘unfounded refugees’. Such refugees will not get the right to appeal.
These nations include Hungary, Czech Republic and Mexico among others. Such nations have been designated as safe nations capable of offering protection to their citizens.