IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2022: Afghanistan

July 2022

Afghan Resettlement

Total Afghans arrived in Canada 16,599

Mandate Commitment

”With the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to facilitate the safe passage and resettlement of vulnerable people from Afghanistan, with an emphasis on individuals who supported Canada and our allies over the past two decades, women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities’, and increase the number of eligible refugees from 20,000 to 40,000.”

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Humanitarian Program

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Committed Spaces (GAR and PSR)

For women leaders, human rights advocates, persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ2 people, and journalists

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• Of the above commitments approximately 4,432 persons (GAR), 4,927 persons (PSR) have arrived in Canada^{Footnote *}

Special Immigration Measures (SIMs)

18,000

Committed Spaces (GAR)

For those with a significant and/or enduring relationship with Canada.  Individuals must be referred by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) or the Department of National Defense (DND), who are responsible for confirming the relationship

• Multiple public polices signed to create and implement this bespoke refugee pathway; the most recent was approved by the Minister on June 9 and set the final cap at 18,000
• Approximately 15,000 applications received; close to 7,000 individuals have arrived in Canada, and remaining applications are in advanced stages of processing; the majority of these clients (61%) are in Afghanistan and require facilitation with safe passage
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• Of the above commitments, approximately 7,194 persons have arrived in Canada^{Footnote *}

Extended Families of Interpreters

5,000

Committed Spaces (Humanitarian & Compassionate)

For extended families of interpreters resettled in Canada under 2009 and 2012 public policies

• An increase to 5,000 from an initial commitment of 1,000 was approved in March 2022 under a new public policy
• Bespoke pathway that mixes approaches common to refugee resettlement and family reunification
• Multiple fees are waived, and clients have access to immigration loans and  pre-departure services overseas, such as housing and travel assistance
• Supports in Canada include three months of Refugee Assistance Program (RAP) income support and 12 months of Interim Federal Health Program coverage
• Arrivals under this cohort began in May 2022, and some implementation challenges have emerged related to differing in-Canada supports when compared to GARs
• Of the above commitment, 46 persons have arrived in Canada^{Footnote *}

Hot Issues

Policy and Program Design

Issue:

Outstanding policy and program design to implement Minister’s decisions on pathways

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Security Screening

Issue:

Inability to complete security screening (including biometrics) and other processing steps in Afghanistan

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Safe Passage

Issue:

Limited ability to provide safe passage for clients in Afghanistan

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Processing and Settlement Capacity

Issue:

Strain on departmental processing and resettlement/ settlement network capacity

State-of-Play:

• Increased deployment of staff (temporary duty officers) to support higher file processing volumes
• Facilitation of client movement and arrivals (e.g., with NGOs, CBSA, PHAC, airport authorities)
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• Cross-country network mobilized to align arrivals to locations with capacity.
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Stakeholder and Public Confidence

Issue:

Persistent criticism regarding lack of transparency, pace of arrivals and differential treatment of Afghanistan and Ukraine

State-of-Play:

• Ongoing stakeholder and client engagement to manage high volume of enquiries
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• Development of  communications messaging to address positive outcomes of the program, with an emphasis on new arrivals