Online criteria for program changes for Afghan refugees, only applies to those who have fled

OTTAWA – The Canadian government has quietly changed the criteria on its website for a special program for vulnerable Afghan refugees so that only those who have already managed to escape to other countries are eligible.

The online criteria for the “Special Humanitarian Program” previously included Afghans “who are in Afghanistan or outside Afghanistan”, but were changed this month to apply only to those ” outside of Afghanistan “.

The program is one of two set up to help bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada and is aimed at vulnerable groups, including women leaders, persecuted religious or ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people and journalists.

The online criteria of the other program, which is for interpreters and others who have assisted Canada during its military mission as well as for staff at embassies, still allow those in Afghanistan to apply.

When the government first announced the special humanitarian program in August, it said it would apply to those outside Afghanistan, but ultimately included those stuck inside the country. war-torn in his online criteria.

Canada was the first country in the world to open a special route to Canada for women, girls, LGBTQ and targeted minorities in Afghanistan.

Groups working with Afghans trying to flee the country have said changing the program’s eligibility criteria on Canada’s official website will cause confusion and despair among Afghans hoping to come to Canada.

This could cause Afghans to resort to smugglers out of the country in order to qualify, they warned.

Alex Cohen, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, said Canada was “the first country in the world to announce a humanitarian program for Afghan refugees, which will see some 40,000 refugees start a new life in this country. “.

The humanitarian initiative, he said, requires refugees to leave their countries of origin to comply with the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.

He said the government “is adapting our programs to the evolving situation in Afghanistan and has added a provision allowing two new partner organizations to refer exceptional cases of individuals who are inside Afghanistan” .

“We regularly review IRCC’s public communications to ensure that they reflect our policies and provide the best possible information to applicants, and update them accordingly,” he said. “The change to our website was a change in communication, not reflecting a change in policy.”

Stephen Watt of Northern Lights Canada, a refugee organization, said the government’s plan to bring 40,000 Afghans to Canada had been shrouded in secrecy since its announcement.

“There is still no clear way to apply for the program, or find out who it accepts or how it works,” he said. “It’s a matter of life and death for many people we talk to in Afghanistan.

“Our government must unveil its plans for these very vulnerable people it has promised to help in the heat of the moment, and provide a clear path to deliver that aid. Now is not the time to make empty promises. and secret processes. “

Canada ended its airlift mission from Kabul in late August as the United States completed its own withdrawal from the country. Thousands of people authorized to travel to Canada have been left behind, including Canadian citizens.

Since the Taliban took control, it is more and more difficult to get people out.

Wendy Noury ​​Long, director of the Afghan Interpreters Association, said she feared the government’s change to its criteria in mid-October could push desperate Afghans to extreme efforts to leave the country. country in order to qualify.

“People are going to be wondering how can I get out? Do I contact smugglers? Countries are actively returning people to Afghanistan, ”she said.

“This is a policy change. This is the explanation for your eligibility. You are taking a huge risk trying to get to another country and you could find yourself deported to Afghanistan.”

The humanitarian program that Canada has put in place to help Afghans at risk has strict eligibility criteria. To be eligible, Afghans must also be a female leader, human rights activist, member of a persecuted religious or ethnic minority, in the LGBTQ community, or a journalist or someone who has assisted Canadian journalists. . From mid-October, they must be located outside of Afghanistan.

Those who meet these criteria must register for refugee status through existing refugee programs, with the United Nations Refugee Agency or the government where they live, and wait to be referred. They can also be identified as eligible by a private sponsor.

About 3,700 Afghan Canadians and refugees, including former interpreters, were airlifted by Canada by the end of August.

About 1,700 interpreters and other Afghans with papers to come to Canada are currently in shelters in Kabul. Some shelters, run by an NGO and funded by veterans and private donations, risk closing within weeks due to lack of funding.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 25, 2021.

Marie Woolf, The Canadian Press