(Ottawa) The NDP caucus chair in Ottawa wants urgent answers from Immigration on what happened to the applications of 2,900 Afghans who had helped the Canadian military – and who have already been duly “accredited” by the army.
Posted at 7:33 p.m.
Updated at 10:51 p.m.
Jenny Kwan asks the Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, to explain why Afghans, whose documents have nevertheless been duly checked and verified by the Canadian army, have not been able to have their application for come to Canada.
General Wayne Eyre, chief of the defense staff, told a Commons committee on Monday evening that his department had screened and verified the documents of 3,800 Afghans, including interpreters, who supported the army’s efforts Canadian in Afghanistan.
However, the committee learned that only 900 of these 3,800 Afghans had had their application to come to Canada approved so far by the Department of Immigration.
The government has committed to bringing to Canada 18,000 Afghans and their families who have served as interpreters for the Canadian Armed Forces, worked at the Canadian Embassy, or had other long-lasting or significant ties to Canada.
MP Kwan says she plans to follow this file with vigor, because the lives of these Afghans who have helped the Canadian military are in danger since the Taliban took power in this country.
She also intends to ask if the Department of Immigration has lost the files of Afghan interpreters who want to come to Canada, claiming that the government has “betrayed” them.
“With each passing day, the risks are increased for Afghans,” said Ms.me Kwan. And for those who have served this country and their loved ones, it is a mistake that the government has left them behind. »
A spokesman for the minister’s office said the ministry plans to invite more Afghans who have a confirmed relationship with Canada in the coming weeks.
After Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defense confirm an Afghan’s ties to Canada, his name is being forwarded to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), press secretary Aidan Strickland said Tuesday in a statement.
IRCC then sends an email to people on that list inviting them to apply, she added. Only people who receive an invitation can apply for the special program.
“We have already received applications for over 14,905 Afghan refugees under the Special Afghan Immigration Program which has assisted the Government of Canada and approved over 10,000 applications. IRCC continues to process applications as quickly as possible,” said Ms.me Strickland.
More than 6,200 Afghans have arrived through the special program, she said.
She maintains that the Taliban are tracking interpreters and their families, and she wants Canada to issue a special travel document, so that vulnerable Afghans do not have to expose themselves unnecessarily to apply for this passport.
It is dangerous for Afghans who have helped the Canadian Forces to request passports from the Taliban authorities, according to Ms.me Kwan.
“When you’re being hunted down and trying to hide from the Taliban, you can’t just walk into the Taliban-run office and say, ‘Can you issue travel documents, issue passports for my whole family?’ , she added. The minute you do that, you put a red flag on top of your head to be targeted. »
The Immigration Department was not available for comment.