Parliamentary Committee Notes: Overview of the Afghan Resettlement Initiative
Key messages
The Government of Canada met its commitment of welcoming at least 40,000 Afghans to Canada before the end of 2023.
As of October 1, 2024, the Government of Canada has welcomed over 54,700 Afghans since the fall of Kabul.
The Afghan resettlement initiative streams include: (1) Special Immigration Measures (SIM) for Afghan nationals who supported the Government of Canada; (2) the family-based pathways for extended family members of former Afghan interpreters and for Language and Cultural Advisors; and (3) the humanitarian program for other vulnerable groups (e.g., women leaders, LGBTQI+ people, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, including Sikhs, Hindus and Hazaras).
Intake for these pathways is now closed, and our focus is on processing eligible applications already received under the Afghan Resettlement Initiative.
Supplementary messages
Over half of Canada's commitment (over 23,000 spaces) is focused on individuals who assisted Canada during its time in Afghanistan, and their families.
This includes 18,000 spaces under the Special Immigration Measures program, 5,000 spaces under a special family reunification program for extended family members of former Afghan interpreters, and spaces for extended family members of Language and Cultural Advisors.
The humanitarian program focuses on individuals from vulnerable groups, including women leaders, LGBTQI+ people, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, and leverages Canada's successful privately sponsored refugee (PSR) program.
To implement the Humanitarian Program, we took a multi-pronged approach:
The Government of Canada worked with a diverse set of referral partners to identify those Afghans most at-risk. This included long-standing partners, such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and new partners such as the U.S. Government, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ProtectDefenders.eu, and Front Line Defenders (FLD).
The Government also leveraged our private sponsorship program, including working with Canada's network of sponsorship agreement holders to create dedicated spaces for Afghans on top of existing plans.
Challenges remain in supporting the movement of Afghan clients, such as Taliban exit requirements, as well as entry and exit requirements in third countries. To address these challenges, IRCC has been working closely with service providers on the ground to provide safe passage support, including assistance with Afghanistan passport application submissions and Pakistani visa submissions. However, the capacity of partner organizations is limited.
IRCC has also introduced multiple measures to provide a maximum level of flexibility for vulnerable Afghans and to adapt to the situation in Afghanistan, including document requirements and security screening (multi-stage approach).
If pressed on current processing timelines:
The time required to process an application depends on a variety of factors, including whether the client is still in Afghanistan and the time required for the client to secure visas and exit permits through third countries, which varies country by country.
IRCC established a dedicated team to support and manage stakeholder inquiries, and to enable new partnerships with stakeholders.
IRCC regularly communicated with advocacy groups, NGOs, and stakeholders in order to provide clear updates on the Afghanistan commitment and to collaborate, as needed, to address complex issues.
If pressed on security screening for Afghan nationals:
Given the challenges and risks associated with the establishment of in-country biometric screening capacity in Afghanistan, we implemented a multi-stage approach to security screening. Under this modified approach, initial admissibility screening can be conducted while clients are in Afghanistan, followed by full admissibility screening, utilizing biometrics, once clients arrive in a third country.
With the help of partners in the region, we are working to support the movement of clients to third countries, where we have bolstered existing biometrics capacity, so that we may complete security screening and enable travel to Canada.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with multiple partners, including the International Organization for Migration, to explore potential options for biometrics collection in Afghanistan.
If pressed on program caps:
Canada's commitment is one of the largest on a per capita basis in the world, and is second only to that of the United States in overall numbers.
As with any crisis of this magnitude, demand for the programs exceeds the number of Afghans that the Government of Canada is able to bring to Canada at this time.
Afghans may also be eligible for regular immigration programs, including economic and family reunification programs.
If pressed on support for Afghans after arrival in Canada:
In Canada, the Afghan resettlement initiative has seen the tremendous support of provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Canadians who have generously sponsored Afghan refugees, and resettlement service provider organizations who help newcomers settle in their new communities.
The Government of Canada addressed the diverse needs of Afghan clients after their arrival in Canada, starting with airport reception upon landing, hotel accommodations, and destining to communities where refugees will begin their new lives.
IRCC works with resettlement agencies to improve the resettlement experience of refugees to Canada. In response to the pace of Afghan client arrivals, IRCC launched a National Afghanistan Resettlement Steering Committee, which brings together Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) from across the country in a bi-weekly meeting to identify challenges and potential innovative solutions in real time.
The top three challenges include housing, employment, and mental health.
As housing pressures are especially acute in major urban centres, IRCC has encouraged the resettlement of Afghan refugees across a wider number of Canadian communities – including medium and smaller sized cities where housing is more available and affordable.
As with all refugee populations, trauma and mental health challenges are evident in this mass migration. IRCC and its partners continue to invest in strategies to assist in the short and medium term as these issues manifest over time.
- Date modified: