Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - September 2007
Illegal Haitian and Mexican immigrants in the United States are flocking to Canada in such large numbers that they are causing a backlog in migration and refugee services, according to an article in this week's National Post. Fraudulent immigration "consultants" are luring these migrants through sales campaigns promising a quick economic fix in Canada, which becomes all the more appealing in light of recent immigration "crack-downs" in many U.S. states.
The situation has gotten so bad that last week the Canadian Council for Refugees asked for intervention from the federal government. Ontario and Quebec have been flooded with migrants and shelters are running out of room. In Windsor, the Salvation Army has been forced to send the overflow to local hotels while aid organizations brace themselves for thousands more. In the first half of 2007, almost as many Haitian refugees have arrived in Canada as in the previous two years combined.
The dramatic jump in refugees has been attributed to numerous scam artists promising guaranteed refugee status. These scam artists are running commercials and setting up phone-lines in southern U.S. states. However, in Canada only 13% of refugee claims from Mexico are granted while for Haitians, that figures is at 66%.
In Canada, two current conditions are exacerbating the situation. Firstly, for citizens of Mexico a visa is not required to enter Canada, thus facilitating illegal immigration. Secondly, Canada is currently not pursing deportations for Haitian citizens so those who arrive are permitted to stay until the situation in their homeland improves.
Unfortunately, many of these people are spending hundreds of dollars paying "consultants" who have no real power to assist them. That some people have decided to take advantage of the situation angers many migrant advocates, such as Rivka Augenfeld of the Canadian Council for Refugees. "They are targeting desperate people," Augenfeld stated in an interview for this story, "they are targeting people who are looking for a way to improve their lives, people who tend to believe these stories, and making a lot of money in the process."
Source: National Post
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/printedition/story.html?id=511c7237-0993-4a30-ac19-2dbaee557e4d&k=38252
