AFGH – Special Immigration Measures – April 25, 2022
Key messages
Special Immigration Measures (SIMs) were launched in July 2021 for locally-engaged staff at the Canadian Embassy in Afghanistan, and for Afghans, and their families, who had a significant or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada.
Canada has welcomed over 5,000 (5,615) Afghan nationals under this program, but there are serious challenges to providing safe passage out of Afghanistan for the majority (70%) of Afghans who applied under this program.
We are committed to overcoming this obstacle and continue to explore all possible options to help our clients leave Afghanistan, including working in partnership with like-minded partners and neighbouring countries.
Unfortunately, requests from Afghans to come to Canada under this program far exceed our current capacity. We are working to provide clarity to everyone who has inquired about this program in the very near future.
Supplementary messages
Referral process with DND/GAC
Individuals who apply to the Program are referred to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) or the Department of National Defence (DND).
GAC and DND identify whether individuals that contacted the Government of Canada, via email or web form, have a significant and/or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada. When a significant or enduring relationship is found, they can be referred onward to the Department.
The Department sends invitations to apply after receiving the referral from DND and GAC. Only the applicants that have been invited to apply have active applications. To ensure equitable treatment, the Department processes referrals on a “first in, first out” basis.
As a result of invitations to apply, the Department is currently processing close to 15,000 applications, and demand for the program far exceeds supply. We are working to respond to all inquiries from Afghans regarding this program in the very near future.
Background
To be eligible for this special program (SIMs) you must meet all the requirements below:
You are an Afghan national and your employment involved a significant or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada, which could be, but is not limited to:
interpreters who worked with the Canadian Armed Forces
local staff who currently or used to work at the Embassy of Canada to Afghanistan
You or your eligible family members were in Afghanistan on or after July 22, 2021 (the date the program started)
Afghan nationals under SIMs arrive as government-assisted refugees (GARs). They receive immediate and essential services, income support, and Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) coverage through Canada’s resettlement assistance program (RAP).
The distinction between SIMS, who arrive as GARs, and regular GARs is that while the Department’s refugee resettlement program is operationally set up to receive GARs from outside their country of origin, typically via longstanding referral partners at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), SIMs are referred by DND and GAC from within Afghanistan on the grounds that, prior to July 22, 2021, these individuals had a significant and enduring relationship with the Government of Canada.
To date, the Department has approved over 14,880 applications for Afghan nationals who assisted the Government of Canada (e.g. locally engaged staff, interpreters), along with their family members. Of these, 10,170 applications have been approved and 5,615 Afghans have since arrived in Canada.
