A backlog of 'legacy' refugee claims filed by applicants who have been waiting over seven years to find out if they can remain in Canada will soon be cleared, as Ottawa now turns its attention to an even bigger backlog of fresh asylum claims.
Minister of Immigration Ahmed Hussen makes an announcement of support for pre-arrival services at the YMCA in Toronto on Monday, January 14, 2019. A backlog of"legacy" claims filed by refugee applicants to Canada who have been waiting over seven years for a hearing to find out if they can remain in Canada will soon be cleared.
Thanks to the efforts of a special task force struck to deal specifically with legacy cases, only a handful remain. The one per cent that are left have been suspended, have already had hearings and are awaiting decisions or are scheduled to be heard between now and July. But even as immigration officials celebrate the elimination of this backlog, another even larger inventory of refugee claims looms at the Immigration and Refugee Board , where asylum-seekers go to have their claims heard by an arms-length tribunal.
In the 2017-18 fiscal year, the number of new claims began exceeding the board's capacity to process them by an average of about 2,300 cases a month. This new backlog was created in part by an influx of over 41,000 "irregular" migrants who have crossed into Canada since 2017 by avoiding official border checkpoints. Canada has also seen a rise in the number of refugees entering the country through regular, legal channels.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Eastern Canada braces for the worst as Ottawa declares a state of emergency due to floodingQuebec officials call for evacuation of area along Rouge River
Read more »
Don't make election about immigration, corporate Canada tells political leadersBig business leaders worried about Canada's aging demographics have been urging political parties to avoid inflaming the immigration debate ahead of this fall's federal election.
Read more »
About one per cent of deaths in Canada medically assisted: Health CanadaAccording to Heath Canada’s latest interim report, 6,749 people have received medically assisted deaths
Read more »
Ottawa engaged in ‘meaningful conversations’ to resolve refuse fight with the Philippines, return garbage to Canada: sourceStatement from an anonymous government source comes the day after Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to ‘declare war’ over the containers
Read more »
The Simpsons take shot at Ottawa Senators in Canadian-themed episodeWhile recovering in hospital, Lisa crosses her fingers and repeatedly prays ‘please not Ottawa’ when an RCMP officer tells her that while in Canada she would be ‘assigned her own hockey team’
Read more »
Canadians will wait longer for new medicines if Health Canada gets its wayOpinion: The intention is to lower prices; the net result will likely be longer wait times before new drugs are introduced
Read more »
Statistics Canada reports wholesale sales up 0.3 per cent in FebruaryStatistics Canada says wholesale sales gains were led by the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector
Read more »
Launch of Canadian Premier League marks new era of soccer in Canada - Sportsnet.ca.jamessharman and craigforrest1 talk about the launch of the CanPL and what it means for the development of young players in Canada.
Read more »
'No amount of skill' could have saved climbers after avalanche started: Parks CanadaThree professional climbers killed in Banff National Park last week weren’t equipped with avalanche beacons during their descent of a remote peak off the Icefields Parkway when an avalanche came cr…
Read more »
Philippines' Duterte threatens 'war' if Canada doesn't take trash backPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to 'declare war' if Canada doesn’t take back the trash an Ontario-based company sent there more than six years ago, according to local media reports.
Read more »
10/3 podcast: Huawei’s charm offensive to win hearts in CanadaChinese wireless giant Huawei has been under much scrutiny over security concerns and its ties to the Chinese government.It has launched a major charm offensive as it seeks to have its infrastructu…
Read more »