The Canadian Parvasi-issue 52

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The International News Weekly world 04 June 29, 2018 | Toronto Canada's refugee claims process 'ill-equipped' to handle surge in claims, says report Canada must overhaul its refugee claim system or create a new agency that reports to the immigration minister in order to streamline and expedite the asylum process, an independent review has concluded. The 147-page report makes 64 recommendations — among them calls for a more aggressive approach and increased resources to tackle the backlog of refugee cases over two years. Neil Yeates, a retired long-time senior civil servant in the federal and Saskatchewan provincial governments, led the government-commissioned review. He said Canada's refugee determination system is now at a crossroads. "Once again, it is dealing with a surge in claims that it is ill-equipped to manage, running the risk of creating a large backlog that, if not tackled promptly, may take years to bring to final resolution," he wrote in his report. Under the current system, various federal departments and agencies have a role in refugee intake, adjudication, removal or permanent residence approval, and the appeals process, but the Immigration and Refugee Board operates as an arm's-length body making independent decisions. The report recommends either maintaining that structure under an Asylum System Management Board, or shaking it up with major structural reforms under an integrated Refugee Protection Agency that reports directly to the immigration minister. A spokesperson for the IRB told CBC News it has "significantly improved efficiencies at the Refugee Protection Division" and reported "an increase in refugee claim finalization by 40 per cent over the past year." The Canadian Council for Refugees said it's "alarmed" by the proposals, arguing they could undermine the independence of the IRB. It called on the government to maintain the IRB as an independent quasi-judicial tribunal responsible for refugee determination. "People's lives hang on decisions on refugee claims," said CCR president Claire Roque in a statement. "We are not talking about traffic violations, we are talking about a decision that may determine whether a person lives or dies. When we make such important decisions, we need to guarantee due process and the basic protections of an expert and independent tribunal." The CCR said the current system — created in the wake of a 1985 Supreme Court decision that found refugee claimants are entitled to charter rights and a fair hearing — is a regarded as a model around the world. The CCR said any changes must be in line with the principles of fairness, respect for due process and compassion. A spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said the government is committed to upholding Canada's "proud humanitarian tradition" of providing protection to those fleeing persecution while ensuring the asylum system is not abused. "The findings in the final report will inform our review of Canada's asylum system as we determine how best to maximize efficiency while ensuring that the system remains fair and continues to be in line with international standards," said Mathieu Genest in an email. "IRCC is studying the recommendations and will be consulting stakeholders, and provincial and territorial partners, on the findings over the course of the summer. It is premature to speculate on any changes that may be considered." Asylum over immigration In his report, Yeates noted the growing trend of people using the asylum process instead of regular immigration channels. "With the advent of human capital immigration models that place a high emphasis on education, language and skilled labour, asylum systems in countries like Canada risk becoming avenues of last resort for lower skilled economic migrants, who generally do not have access to other pathways to permanent residence," the report reads. Current approval rates for protection are about 65 per cent, so there are "ever present concerns" that the asylum system can be vulnerable to misuse, Yeates warned. "When there are lengthy waiting times for an initial protection hearing there are Trump again lashes out at Trudeau and G7 summit: ‘What’s your problem, Justin?’ U.S. President Donald Trump again complained about Prime Minister Trudeau and his G7 Summit speech while boasting about how many televisions Air Force One has. During a campaign rally in South Carolina on Monday, Trump launched into a rant about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Canada’s dairy industry and the G7 summit. “Canada! Nice guy, nice guy, prime minister Justin. I say, ‘Justin, what’s your problem, Justin?’” Trump tells the crowd. “So, Canada. Oh Canada, I love their national anthem, O Canada. I like ours better, however. No, Canada’s great, I love Canada.” The president told the crowd that the world leaders at the G7 summit were “in love” and how he made “some change” to an agreement signed by the world leaders during their meeting in Quebec earlier this month. “I left and everybody was happy,” Trump said. “I get onto Air Force One, and he doesn’t understand that Air Force One has 22 televisions. They have televisions in closets they have televisions in areas that no place has televisions, unlimited budget Air Force One. “So I get onto the plane and I see Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, saying ‘Canada will not be bullied by the United States,’ I said ‘What are we doing here?’” Trump said. Following Trump’s departure from the G7 summit, the president launched into a multi-day tirade over trade and Canada’s response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The issue of trade was the most controversial heading into the G7 summit in La Malbaie, with Trump launching multiple barbs in Canada’s direction in the days leading up to his arrival. “That fact is that Canada has a 275 per cent tariff on dairy products, little thing called dairy products,” Trump told the crowd Monday. Canada’s dairy sector is heavily sheltered under a government system which controls how much it produces and also sets prices that are far above those in the United States for domestic consumers. The system falls outside of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump, who has frequently threatened to walk away from the pact, is now threatening tariffs on auto imports. “So, lumber is a disaster, energy is a disaster and I see Justin saying ‘We fought World War One together. We fought World War Two together,’ that’s true,” Trump said. “We love Canada, but Canada is charging almost 300 per cent tariffs on dairy products and many other things. “I said, ‘Look if you wanna do that, we’re gonna put a little tariff on your cars coming in.’ And you know cars are a biggie,” the president said. further concerns that the asylum system may be abused to prolong temporary stays in Canada for healthcare, work permits, public schooling, direct access to Canadian citizenship for children born while in Canada and other benefits, all of which make future removal from Canada of many unsuccessful claimants difficult," the report reads. A series of reforms in 2012 aimed to expedite the claims process, but the system is still strained by spikes in asylum claims and resources stretched thin. IRB spokeswoman Anna Pape said claims intake has been exceeding operational capacity by an average of 2,300 cases per month for the last year, creating a growing backlog. As of May 31, 2018, there were about 57,235 pending cases. She said the IRB has taken steps to improve efficiency, and the number refugee claims finalized increased by about 40 per cent in 2017-18 compared to the previous year. The IRB is currently funded to finalize approximately 24,000 claims per year. "The IRB continues to explore new and innovative ways to improve efficiency, with the objective of improving the timeliness of decisions," Pape said. Given the current caseload and existing resources, the projected wait time for claims for refugee protection before the IRB has increased to approximately 20 months. The report recommends stronger financial controls and tracking of overall system spending rather than incremental funding. It estimates that, following the reforms, the federal government has spent an average of $216 million a year on processing claims, social supports such as health care and legal costs. That figure does not include costs for the Federal Court and downstream provincial costs. Courtesy: Globe and Mail The report also recommends that • The minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship table an annual report in Parliament on the system as a whole; • The federal government develop an annual plan and budget based on forecasted intake and targets, with tracked expenditures, and establish an external advisory committee of experts; • Ottawa streamline the hearings process, using plain language on forms and making better use of technology; • The federal government integrate permanent residence processing of non-accompanying spouses/ dependents into the asylum intake process to minimize repetitive processes; • Government prioritize removals as soon as a removal order comes into effect; • specialized staff be tasked with asylum intake at major points of entry, and; • Ottawa establish a rapid-response contingency workforce to handle increased claim volumes. U.S. Supreme Court rules in Trump's favour on travel ban Continued from page 01 Trump can now claim vindication after lower courts had blocked his travel ban announced in September, as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges brought by the state of Hawaii and others. The president quickly reacted on Twitter: "SU- PREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!" The White House followed up with a statement from Trump touting the decision as a "tremendous victory for the American people and the Constitution." "This ruling is also a moment of profound vindication following months of hysterical commentary from the media and Democratic politicians who refuse to do what it takes to secure our border and our country," the statement added. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent that based on the evidence in the case, "a reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus." She said her colleagues arrived at the opposite result by "ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are United States citizens."
The International News Weekly world 05 June 29, 2018 | Toronto What Canadian travellers need to know about U.S. travel ban upheld by the SC U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban, which doesn’t allow people from some predominantly Muslim majority countries to enter the U.S., has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The current version of the ban (announced in September) prohibits most people from seven countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela – from entering the U.S. While the ban has been largely in place since December, a legal challenge continued until Tuesday when the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold it. Civil rights groups have denounced the ban, saying it amounts to religious discrimination, as five of the seven countries are Muslim-majority countries. Trump has said the ban was necessary for security reasons and to stop the spread of terrorism to the U.S. Canadians who are permanent residents and are from the countries affected by the ban will now have to apply for a “waiver” to enter the United States. “Case-by-case waivers could be appropriate in circumstances such as the following… the foreign national is a landed Canadian immigrant who applies for a visa at a location within Canada,” the executive order reads. However, it’s not clear what the case-by-case exceptions may or may not be. What a “waiver” could look like also remains unclear. Currently, Canadians travelling to the U.S. with criminal records need waivers to get across the border. When the policy was announced, American immigration lawyers told Global News the waivers can cost USD $585 and take roughly six months to be issued. The Canadian government advises that those travelling to the U.S. contact the U.S. embassy or consulate to confirm entry requirements. According to the order, waivers “could” be granted if “the foreign national has demonstrated to the officer’s satisfaction that denying entry during the suspension period would cause undue hardship, and that his or her entry would not pose a threat to national security and would be in the national interest.” Canadians with dual citizenships involving any of the named countries are not expected to be affected by the ban. However, there may be some issues if you’ve been to one of the named countries, Molnar said. Again, that’s because of the discretionary nature of the rules. “You can always be turned away based on your travel history. I’ve had that done to me because I’ve worked in some of those countries,” Molnar explained. She recommends making thorough preparations for border crossings – whether that’s preparing additional documents or allotting additional time for screenings. Molnar also said the court ruling could cause confusion and delays at the border – and even those with a Canadian passport could be affected. “It’s basically going to cause widespread confusion, both from the policy and operational side,” Molnar said. That could mean “huge lines, for example, and extra questioning and searching. And that is always the potential now, being denied entry into the United States.” Recently released internal notes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reveal Canadian government officials didn’t understand the impact of the ban either. World's most costly cities Trudeau Slammed for paying $17,000 to chef for meal during India visit The annual Mercer survey ranked more than 209 cities, based on factors such as the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing and other expenses compared to New York City as the base. This year’s ranking places Calgary at 154 — 11 spots lower than the previous year. Similar cities to Calgary in terms of their cost of living are Warsaw, Poland; Quito, Ecuador; Limassol, Cyprus, and Belfast, United Kingdom. Toronto advanced 10 spots to 109 and Vancouver fell two spots to tie with Toronto. To no surprise, both cities are the top two most expensive places to live in the country. Montreal’s ranking dropped 18 spots to 147. Ottawa was listed as the fifth-Canadian city on the list, coming in at 160. Mercer says the drop comes due to relatively stable market conditions. The survey says Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore and Seoul are the top five most expensive cities in the world. The most expensive city to live in across North America — New York City, which came in at No. 13 on the list. The least expensive city listed is Tashkent, Uzbekistan. IMMIGRATION TO CANADA WITHIN 6-12 MONTHS WE HAVE CONFIRMED JOB OFFERS FROM CANADIAN EMPLOYERS FOR afpxy pirvfr dIaF KLusLIaF surwiKaq kro Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's opponents, the Canadian Conservative Party, slammed him for taking too many days off, too often. The Canadian Conservative Party's tweet came soon after uproar over his $1.5 million trip and blasted him for taking advantage of his office's itinerary, Sputnik reported. "Justin Trudeau is taking yet another "personal" day today, the tweet read. The post, which was later deleted also provided a link to a special web page: IsJustinTrudeauOnVacation.ca, to reveal the vacations the Canadian Prime Minister has taken since the start of his term. After returning from India, in February, Justin Trudeau faced a backlash over the spending. According to the opposition, Justin Trudeau spent a little over $1.5 million on the trip and they also accused him of worsening bilateral ties with India. The Canadian Prime Minister was also slammed for paying $17,044 to Vikram Vij, a chef from Vancouver to prepare a meal for a meeting in New Delhi. 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