Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration

Comité permanent de la citoyenneté et de l'immigration

For immediate release

Ottawa, January 30, 2023 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration condemns the persecution of minority Christians around the world after witnesses highlighted their plight during the committee’s fall 2022 study on Application Backlogs and Processing Times.

During its study, the committee learned of backlogs in every stream of applications at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which has left privately sponsored refugees waiting in precarious situations for years. In a period where global forced displacement is at an all-time high, testimony before the committee on September 27, 2022 and November 1, 2022 as well as a written brief underlined how the refugee resettlement of minority Christians is facing barriers in many countries. For example, the Canadian resettlement program requires privately sponsored refugees to obtain a determination of their status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or by the country in which they are being hosted, for their application to be complete. Obtaining this documentation is difficult for many reasons, including fear of local authorities for minorities. The committee urges the Canadian government to provide assistance wherever possible to facilitate immigration of such vulnerable individuals and families to Canada.