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Chandra Arya, a Canadian member of Parliament on Friday said that while the government would support genuine refugee claimants, it would crack down on those who misused their ‘generous’ refugee system.
Arya said that several people who arrive with valid visas apply for asylum soon after landing in Canada.
In a post on X, he quoted a report by a Canada-based daily, Toronto Star and said, “In 2023, Canada’s largest independent tribunal received 138,000 new claims, up by 129% from the year before and by 136% in 2019 … In the first three months of 2024, already 46,700 claims were lodged, with a total of 186,000 cases in the queue.”
“I am told there are many, who are seeking refugee status, are here for economic opportunities (and are using the asylum route to jump the queue). I am also told, that thousands of international students who do not meet the eligibility criteria to apply for permanent residency are using this path to stay back in Canada. I have heard from authoritative sources of hundreds of people arriving in Canada with valid visitor’s visas and applying for asylum soon after landing in Canada. While we should continue to support genuine refugee claimants, we should strictly deal with those who are misusing and gaming our generous refugee system,” Arya added in his post.
According to a report in the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest independent tribunal received 1,38,000 new claims for refugee status in 2023, rising by 129 percent from 2022 and by 136 percent in 2019, Canada stares at 1,86,000 cases in the queue, as 46,700 claims were lodged by the end of March 2024.
“It didn’t take long for me to realize with the team that we needed to maintain our ability to render fair decisions despite the growing intake. We need to do something about that, ” the Toronto Star quoted Manon Brassard, the chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board in 2023 as having told a Senate committee in June,
The report added that in the spring session of the Canadian parliament, the federal government tried to bring an omnibus bill to tackle the backlog and streamline the process. But, it failed to pass. Critics say the board needs more decision makers and the government must take some people out of the queue and give them other alternatives.
Immigration lawyer Maureen Silcoff told the Toronto Star that Canada can offer immigration status to asylum seekers who are employed in fields with labor shortages. “That could be a win-win,” he said.
