(Ottawa) The Canadian government 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 they 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 for the other program, which is aimed at interpreters and others who assisted Canada during its military mission as well as Embassy staff, still appear to 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.
The government said on Monday that the website change was “communication rather than a policy change.”
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 promised to help ahead of the election, and provide a clear path for that assistance. Now is not the time for empty promises and secret processes. ”