As the period for submitting applications for the collective sponsorship program opened on Tuesday, Quebec was accused of excluding organizations that have nearly half a century of experience with refugees. Outraged by an “arbitrary” reinterpretation of the regulations which invalidates their way of doing things, these organizations accused the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) of wanting to close the program in a disguised manner, abandoning hundreds, if not thousands, of refugees who have been waiting for years to be able to come here.
“I will remain polite, but for me, I interpret [ça] as a desire to put an end to the collective sponsorship program,” said François Rheault, president of the Saint-Yves Refugee Reception Committee, which brings together several churches in Quebec, at a press briefing.
In the fall of 2020, to give itself time to investigate possible fraud, the MIFI prohibited experienced organizations, such as the Archbishopric of Montreal, Action Réfugiés Montréal or the Jesuit Refugee Service, from filing files.
Media, including The dutyrevealed that organizations had taken advantage of gray areas in the regulation of this humanitarian program.
However, after this investigation, although some were refused any new requests, the so-called “experienced” organizations were able to start submitting files again in 2022.
A way of doing things that disturbs the MIFI
According to our information, the modus operandi of these experienced organizations, however, continues to disturb the ministry. They present sponsorship requests from a co-sponsor, that is, a person who wishes, for example, to sponsor members of their family. This co-sponsor pays an amount which would be placed in trust and entirely given back to the refugee family upon arrival, through payments spread over 12 months. MIFI officials now interpret Quebec’s immigration regulations very strictly, which say that “no one can benefit from sponsorship” and they have decided to no longer tolerate the way the organizations do things.
“The organizations have been transparent with the ministry, the deposits are clearly presented in the financial statements,” underlined Julia Tischer, sponsorship coordinator at the Table de concertation des organizations serving refugees and immigrants (TCRI). “MIFI investigations in the past […] were able to confirm that the organizations do not benefit financially from sponsorship and do not accept funds or advancement from refugees. »
However, after being met by civil servants, these experienced organizations received a letter from the ministry last week prohibiting them “from submitting a request for commitment on behalf of another person” and from receiving a sum of money under form of deposit from the refugee, his or her family or a third person.
In short: if an organization wants to sponsor a family, it must advance the funds itself.
However, for 20 sponsorship files, it costs $500,000 to be able to adequately provide for the needs of families, retorts Hugo Ducharme, of the Jesuit Refugee Service. “Money doesn’t grow on trees! »
Supervision and transparency
According to him, the MIFI complains about the little control it has over the co-sponsors, in particular to find out more about their financial capacity, their criminal records, etc.
“Yet, in other provinces, when the federal government needed to supervise the program, it put in place forms where the organizations declared the co-sponsors and their financial participation,” argues Hugo Ducharme. “We are ready for supervision. »
François Rheault does not deny that there has been fraud and abuse, and he says he completely agrees with the importance of transparency. “We have always been and we are ready to comply with procedures again,” he said.
For her part, Alessandra Santopadre, responsible for sponsorship at the Diocese of Montreal, cannot digest having been given intentions during a meeting with a MIFI official last fall. “I came in with all my evidence and said, ‘do you really think I was doing illegal things’? Because he repeated it several times,” she says, still outraged. “I was even accused of being naive because I declared that I had received funds [des coparrains]. »
The MIFI even proposed its own list of refugees to sponsor, according to Mr. Rheault. “You really have to have some nerve!” » he said.
The ministry has not yet responded to questions from Duty.