Refugees: Myths and Facts #8
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Myth # 8 Once accepted, refugees can bring in their entire families with few restrictions
The Facts: Reuniting families when possible is Canadian immigration policy, both for humanitarian reasons and because how well individuals do in our country depends on support from family and community. However, only a spouse and dependent children under the age of 22 are accepted for family reunification with a recognized refugee.[i] Moreover, the process for refugees who claimed asylum from within Canada is much slower than for immigrants.[ii] It takes an average of 38 months for refugees to reunite with spouses and children left overseas. It can take even longer if family members are in a South Asian or African country. Sponsored refugees have a one-year window of opportunity to sponsor family members but we don’t have data on how long it takes for family reunification to occur. Most importantly, refugees must prove they can support their family members financially for long periods of time without any government help.[iii] In order to sponsor other family members, like parents and grandparents, the requirements are more stringent and take a long time to be approved.[iv]
[i] https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/permanent-residence/protected-persons/stage-1-eligibility.html
[ii] http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/family-reunification-campaign-handout-2017.pdf
[iii] http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/family-reunification/requirements-sponsor/duration-sponsorship.html
[iv] https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/sponsor-parents-grandparents.html
The Facts: Reuniting families when possible is Canadian immigration policy, both for humanitarian reasons and because how well individuals do in our country depends on support from family and community. However, only a spouse and dependent children under the age of 22 are accepted for family reunification with a recognized refugee.[i] Moreover, the process for refugees who claimed asylum from within Canada is much slower than for immigrants.[ii] It takes an average of 38 months for refugees to reunite with spouses and children left overseas. It can take even longer if family members are in a South Asian or African country. Sponsored refugees have a one-year window of opportunity to sponsor family members but we don’t have data on how long it takes for family reunification to occur. Most importantly, refugees must prove they can support their family members financially for long periods of time without any government help.[iii] In order to sponsor other family members, like parents and grandparents, the requirements are more stringent and take a long time to be approved.[iv]
[i] https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/permanent-residence/protected-persons/stage-1-eligibility.html
[ii] http://ccrweb.ca/sites/ccrweb.ca/files/family-reunification-campaign-handout-2017.pdf
[iii] http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/family-reunification/requirements-sponsor/duration-sponsorship.html
[iv] https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/sponsor-parents-grandparents.html