IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2023: Crisis Response

Issue

• The Government of Canada is increasingly deciding to provide support to populations facing humanitarian crises, which means that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is called upon to quickly develop and implement immigration responses to a range of humanitarian situations, including to persons who fall outside the refugee definition.
• As global displacement becomes increasingly complex, the Department has been using the Minister’s public policy authority under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and making significant program adaptations to offer bespoke immigration responses to each new situation. [Redacted]
• This is demonstrated in the Department’s current responses to several international humanitarian situations, each of which unique. This includes the completion of the Government’s commitment to Afghan nationals, special measures to facilitate the arrivals of Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion, as well as other facilitative measures for individuals affected by natural disasters (e.g. earthquake in Türkiye and Syria), political crises (e.g. Iran) and civil war (e.g. Sudan), among other situations.
• Other planned commitments include: [Redacted], to welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere, [Redacted]. Given finite resources, these humanitarian commitments ultimately compete with pressures also mounting in the traditional refugee resettlement space, for example, to facilitate the resettlement of 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims at risk outside of China.
• Recognizing the need for a more deliberate approach to unprecedented levels of forced displacement, the Department is developing and advancing a Crisis Management Framework that will enable it and its partners to better anticipate, respond to, and manage emerging humanitarian crises and other international incidents while protecting its ability to also deliver upon existing refugee commitments.

State of Play

Current Crisis Responses:

Ukraine

• CUAET: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Government of Canada launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) to provide streamlined temporary resident visa processing and in-Canada benefits to Ukrainians and their foreign national family members seeking to come to Canada temporarily.
• The CUAET successfully offered temporary safety to over 1 million Ukrainians and their family members. Overseas intake for the CUAET ended on July 15, 2023, and the Department has now transitioned to a new phase of immigration measures for Ukraine.
• Ukrainians and their family members seeking to come to Canada must now apply for temporary residence as per standard requirements and programming. Once in Canada, and until March 31, 2024, these clients may apply for extended stays in Canada (up to 3 years); and open work and study permits, for a fee. They will be eligible for settlement services upon arrival, but not transitional financial assistance or temporary accommodations.
• Family reunification permanent residence pathway: Announced on July 15, and starting October 23, 2023, a new family reunification pathway will be launched for those who wish to stay in Canada. To qualify, Ukrainian nationals must be in Canada with temporary resident status and have relatives in Canada, including spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children or grandchildren of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

Sudan

• Facilitative measures: In response to the conflict in Sudan, the Department has introduced a series of special measures such as extended status for Sudanese in Canada, fee-exempt temporary residence permits to foreign national family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who fled Sudan, and halted document fees for Canadian citizens and permanent residents seeking to travel home from Sudan. Sudanese nationals in Canada who are temporary residents continue to have access to facilitative measures until October 25, 2023, and foreign nationals of any nationality who fled Sudan with Canadian citizen or permanent resident family members have access to facilitation measures until April 30, 2024, provided they arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023.
• [Redacted]

Americas

• With President Biden’s visit in March 2023 and [Redacted], the Prime Minister announced Canada’s commitment to welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere by the end of March 2024, with a path to economic opportunities to address forced displacement, as an alternative to irregular migration. [Redacted]
• [Redacted]
• [Redacted]

Uganda

• [Redacted]
• [Redacted]
• [Redacted]

Uyghurs

• Private Member’s Motion 62 (M-62) calls on the Government of Canada to resettle 10,000 vulnerable Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim that have fled to third countries from China and lack a durable solution. The motion is to be implemented over two years, starting in 2024, and is above regular resettlement levels. An implementation plan must be tabled in Parliament by November 1, 2023. [Redacted]

Crisis Management Framework

• The Department is developing a Crisis Management Framework to ensure the tools, authorities, and skillsets are available to better manage emerging humanitarian situations, while supporting the Government’s foreign policy priorities and whole-of-government responses.
• As part of the Framework, the Department is considering a set of monitoring and assessment criteria to inform ongoing analysis of emerging crises. [Redacted]
• [Redacted]
• Crisis management is a key theme within the Strategic Immigration Review. A Public Report on the Strategic Immigration Review is forthcoming (date TBD) and is expected to reference the Framework. Options to operationalize this Framework are under development.

Key Messages

Crisis Management Framework

• Canada is a leader in refugee protection, while maintaining a strong humanitarian tradition of aiding populations in need through a variety of means.
• Recognizing Canadians’ interest in immigration responses to humanitarian situations, the Department is exploring ways to enhance its ability to anticipate, and comprehensively manage emerging crises efficiently and equitably, in a manner that also allows us to uphold our existing traditional refugee commitments

Crisis Responses

• When responding to international crises, Canada naturally tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support; however, a Framework is needed in order to help promote greater consistency, equity and efficiency.

Next Steps

• You will be briefed on IRCC’s crisis responses and options for the proposed Crisis Management Framework [Redaction], and on how it relates to the ongoing Strategic Immigration Review.
• The Department will provide you with the necessary support, including communications support, as we continue to deliver responses to humanitarian crises around the globe.

Background

• In 2022, global forced displacement reached a record level of 108 million individuals. As displacement continues to rise, Canada is increasingly being pushed to adopt immigration measures in response to people escaping persecution, war, state failure, and natural disaster. At the same time, many states are implementing new border management practices and measures to restrict asylum spaces.
• Canada is also being asked to do more for populations that do not fit squarely within the refugee definition. IRCC’s Refugee Resettlement Program is designed specifically to provide protection to refugees abroad who have fled their countries of nationality due to persecution or conflict and who have no other durable solutions available (e.g. repatriation, local integration). However, outside of ad hoc and discretionary measures, IRCC has limited means to assist non-refugee populations affected by natural disaster or a political or economic crisis, or to provide them with appropriate supports on arrival.
• The first Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan (June 2021) recommended “[…] that IRCC creates an emergency mechanism ready to be deployed in the event of future humanitarian crises […].” The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration also made recommendations to ensure fairness and impartiality for populations in situations of vulnerability.
• Ukraine – CUAET: Canada’s response to Ukraine was the first of its kind in that in-Canada supports were offered to victims of humanitarian crises coming to Canada for temporary stays. As of June 14, 2023, IRCC had received 1,060,317 overseas CUAET applications and approved 762,478. Approximately 21% of approved CUAET applicants have travelled to Canada to date. The Department has also received 20,143 applications from existing Ukrainian temporary residents for study permit, work permit, and visitor record extensions. Approval rates for CUAET clients are over 99%. As of June 11, 2023, over 165,000 clients had been approved for the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI) [Redacted]. Between April 2022 and April 2023, over 86,400 Ukrainian and CUAET clients received settlement services from federally-funded service provider organizations.