(Ottawa) The government says North Koreans traveling to Canada under a new private sponsorship program will undergo a health and safety check before being allowed into the country.
The Immigration Department says it will also verify that refugees fleeing Kim Jong-un’s authoritarian regime do not have a criminal record.
Under the new program, Canadian citizens will for the first time be able to sponsor North Koreans to settle in Canada.
Canada does not generally admit North Koreans because they can stay safely in South Korea.
The government says the immigration minister has approved the special policy that will begin with a small number of North Korean families who have already fled to Thailand. However, before being allowed to start a new life in Canada, they will have to go through the usual checks.
The Immigration Department said HanVoice, a Canadian human rights organization that manages the program, will be responsible for supporting North Koreans for a year after they arrive in Canada.
“The aim of the program is to help North Korean women who represent 80% of the North Korean refugee population,” said Sean Chung, executive director of HanVoice. “We hope this will be a spark to encourage other countries to create pathways to welcome North Korean refugees.”
HanVoice said the pilot program to be launched next February will allow Canadian citizens to sponsor five families who have fled to a neighboring country, such as Thailand.
North Koreans who flee to neighboring China are returned to their country and punished if discovered, while those who arrive in Thailand have no official status.
“As part of this public policy, a small number of North Korean women and their families outside of North Korea may be considered for resettlement in Canada. Once the cases have been forwarded to the ministry by HanVoice, people will still have to meet the eligibility criteria to enter Canada, ”the immigration ministry said in a statement. “This includes health, crime and security checks.”