The members of the Sudanese community in London say that although they are relieved that Ottawa has reopened a program that would allow them to take their relatives trapped in the area of war to security in Canada, they want clarity on how long it will take to process their active applications. .
On Thursday, the Federal Minister of Imigration, Mar Miller, said that Canada will reopen applications on February 25 for a family humanitarian route that first launched last year, and add 1,750 applications to the 3,250 that you have already received for A total of 5,000.
“This extension is a positive step to provide very necessary relief to other families that could not ask their families during the previous rounds,” said London resident, Nuha Mohamed, who requested to bring his brother, his wife and four Children, along with his sister and three children, to Canada.
The Sudanese Canadians have long criticized the program for their relatively small capacity compared to humanitarian programs for citizens of other countries fleeing the war, long processing times attached to applications, and the high financial burden that They are imposed.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have a high income or that they have $ 9,900 reserved per person they are requesting, in addition to the processing rates of $ 635 per adult and $ 175 per child.
Mohamed said he asked his family on February 28, 2024, and the only progress made so far is to meet the biometric requirement in November. Since then, he has not received responses from immigration refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about the status of the application, he said.
“This is a humanitarian situation, it is very bad and it is supposed to be done accelerated, so I do not see any reason for this delay in processing applications,” said Mohamed.
Tens of thousands of people have already died in Sudan due to the conflict that exploded in April 2023. According to the United Nations, half of the population of Sudan, almost 25 million people, is “experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity,” and millions of are displaced. The situation has been declared the worst humanitarian crisis in the world by the African Union.
Mohamed’s family fled from Sudan at the beginning of the war, with his sister and his children who currently live in the United Arab Emirates, and his brother and his family in Egypt. However, she said that there is a lot of uncertainty with her residential state and her policies constantly changing in those countries.
“It’s very vague and I don’t see any other [humanitarian] Program that came out without clarity about processing times, “he said.” It is too much stress for me and my family because it is difficult when you have no answers. “
Ottawa to reassure more than 4,000 refugees for 2026
Miller also said that the Federal Government is committing to resettle 4,700 refugees fleeing the current civil war in Sudan at the end of 2026. Of that amount, 4,000 refugees would receive government assistance, while 700 would arrive through private sponsorship.
IRCC estimates that requests will lead to approximately 10,000 people who will restart in Canada through their family anchors here. The program was previously arrested after reaching its application capacity of 3,250 in May 2024.
The Ministry said it reset 1,360 Sudanese refugees in Canada between April 2023 and December 2024. Of the more than 7,000 relatives of the Sudanese Canadians who requested the permanent residence route program, 291 people had landed in Canada from 2 February.
“We need to see a clear process about how these numbers will be implemented,” said Samah Mahmoud, an immigration consultant from London that is part of a Canadian Sudanese defense subcommittee that helps inform IRCC policy towards the immigration route.
Mahmoud said IRCC told him last year that some applicants would arrive in Canada by 2024, but most will arrive for the summer of 2025. Applicants who still expect have no deadlines for the arrivals of their loved ones, he said.
“We also need to know the expected processing times for the reopening of February 25. We do not want to be retained in the same process as before,” Mahmoud said.
The pressure of the Sudanese Canadians, who demanded IRCC urgency in an open letter last week, has motivated the government to extend the program, Mahmoud said. While the community is very grateful for this decision, families concern that additional capacity is not yet enough to meet the serious situation.
Mohamed believes that the family way should not have a capacity, since it will allow people in Canada to depend mainly on their families and will not require government assistance.
The total number of refugees will also include up to 350 sudanese nationals privately sponsored by groups of five and community sponsors. Canada intends to give up the requirement of a refuge state determination document and IRCC said it will release more details in the coming weeks.
