CIMM – Inquiry of Ministry – March 20, 2024

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Question No. Q-1902

By Mr. Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan)

Date October 25, 2023

Paul Chiang, M.P.

Question

With regard to the government’s response to the situation in Sudan: (a) how many people have been evacuated from Sudan who are (i) Canadian citizens, (ii) Canadian permanent residents, (iii) family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, since April 1, 2023; (b) what special immigration measures has the government implemented for people leaving Sudan; (c) what additional special immigration measures is the government examining or considering for people leaving Sudan; (d) is the government investigating allegations against any Canadian firms relating to their relationships with Sudanese military or paramilitary groups, and, if so, which firms are under investigation; (e) what is the government’s position regarding (i) the presence of the Wagner Group in Sudan, (ii) calls for the listing of the Wagner Group as a terrorist entity?

Reply

In so far as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is concerned:

(b) IRCC has implemented the following measures in response to the situation in Sudan:

• Prioritizing processing of completed temporary and permanent residence applications for individuals, including refugees, who are still in Sudan or have fled to the surrounding region.
• Waiving the passport or travel document requirement for permanent residence approval for those who may have lost their passports during the conflict, allowing them to come to Canada when it is safe to do so.
• Waiving travel document fees for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are in Sudan and wish to leave.
• Allowing Sudanese nationals already in Canada as temporary residents to extend or change their status free of charge, enabling them to continue studying, working, or visiting family until it is safe to return to Sudan.
• Allowing eligible foreign national family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who fled Sudan with their Canadian citizen or permanent resident family member after the violence erupted to apply for a fee-exempt temporary resident document to come to Canada and, provided they arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023, to apply for an open work permit or study permit, or for permanent residence under the Family Class, all free of charge.

(c) The Department aims to balance the creation of special immigration measures against other immigration commitment and competing priorities, as well as the needs of the community.

• Canada maintains a number of existing immigration programs that continue to be available for Sudanese who qualify, including opportunities to reunite families through the family sponsorship program. This program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor for permanent residence their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent children, parents, grandparents, orphaned relatives under the age of 18, and other eligible relatives in limited circumstances.
• The Department also offers temporary pathways, such as the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, as well as temporary work and study opportunities. Applications for permanent and temporary residence from Sudanese nationals continue to be prioritized.
• In addition, Canada has a proud and longstanding tradition of providing protection to the world’s most vulnerable populations. In this spirit, Canada currently accepts many refugees from Sudan, and IRCC is working in close collaboration with its partners to facilitate the processing of these refugees.