Leave, Voluntarily, or be Expelled
"When people come here [to Canada], in many of their visa documents, they undertake to leave. The vast majority leave voluntarily, and that's what's expected."
"In the vast majority of cases, those people that have come here temporarily and do not have the right to stay, in fact leave."
"We do recognize the need to pause population growth and return it to pre-pandemic levels."
"[Caps on international students had already begun to reduce rental prices in] high demand [areas like Toronto and Vancouver]."
"There are an increasing number of students making asylum claims, I
think with very little hope. Whether you like it or not
they are entitled to due process in this country. I don’t think you
would purport to deny it to them."
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller
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Source: Unsplash
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Canada's population level has sky-rocketed in the last few years, thanks mostly to the immigration/refugee-intake/migrant issues and foreign student visas handed out with gay abandon, that Canadian universities have become dependent on for their high tuition fees. The Liberal government has insisted that Canada's low birth rate, similar to most developed countries of the world, is failing to provide a needed workforce, resulting in labour scarcity that accelerated immigration supposedly solves.
In the process of accelerating the rise of the Canadian population, an already inadequate and strained health system has stumbled badly, and housing and accommodation prices across Canada have reached sky-high scarcity and expense. Add to that the presence of so many foreign students, able to work while fulfilling their academic obligations has meant that jobs customarily taken by Canadian students are now in short supply. And then there is the issue that a student visa enables entry to Canada while some visa-holders fail to use them as intended.
The millions of foreign nationals in Canada, insisted the Immigration Minister in assurances to a House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration would, on the expiration of their visas, be "expected to leave" voluntarily. This, while Statistics Canada has confirmed that three million temporary immigrants are now living in Canada. Any of the 4.9 million visa-holders, Mr. Miller repeated, without a visa renewal will be "expected to leave".
Evidently those visa-holders have different expectations. Although the Minister claims the Canada Border Services Agency has the legal right to "remove people", members of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), a group based in Toronto advocating for "permanent resident status for all", thinks otherwise. As a representative of the group, blocking Miller's exit stated: "Mr. Miller, we are the people you are trying to kick out of the country We are human beings and we are not taps to be turned on and off".
A video by MWAC captured the encounter with the minister pushing through the group: "Callous Liberal Immigration Minister ... Ploughs Through Crowds of Migrants He's Deporting", an accompanying MWAC caption read. The steepest rates of immigration intake in Canadian history has taken place over the last three years of the current Trudeau Liberal government. The population of Canada in 2021 was 38.2 million. A more recent estimate gives that number at 41.3 million.
Temporary immigration represents a disproportionate number of that intake. Statistics Canada's most recent estimate was three million non-permanent residents; 766,000 of that total are foreign students. The convention has always been that entering Canada on a temporary basis tended to be a reliable initial step to obtaining permanent residency and finally, citizenship. About one-third of those who enter Canada on a work permit, according to Statistics Canada, become permanent residents within five years.
Public dissatisfaction with a groaning, overworked universal medical system, and the inability for prospective new home buyers to match current home and apartment prices finally persuaded the government to cut back on its expansive immigration numbers, convincing it finally to reduce intake targets. The result of which would be the expectation that large numbers of temporary visa holders will leave the country, as contracted for.
The Immigration Minister months earlier spoke of an "alarming" trend of foreign students at the expiry of their student visas, given to claiming refugee status. The current backlogs in refugee processing means that even unfounded asylum claims result in an additional two years in Canada until such time as the case can be reviewed. "There's some opportunism that's being used and exploited there", Miller admitted. But it is a situation engineered by his government, however inadvertently, by bad decisions.
The Canada Border Services Agency, tasked with removing people overstaying their visas would find their capacity to do just that overwhelmed should only a relatively small number of migrants refuse to "voluntarily" leave. The CBSA performed 20,180 removals in 2022-2023. In the first eight months of 2024, 119,835 refugee claims, including 12,915 from study permit holders were received by Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
"[Trudeau’s] own published documents show there are 4.9 million
people here temporarily that are supposed to leave by Dec. 31 of next
year."
"We
asked what the plan was to track their departure and [on Monday
Trudeau’s] immigration minister said 'We’re just going to take people at
their word'."
"He admits two ISIS terrorists [were] allowed into our country.
What is the plan to protect our security and reinstate sovereignty over
who is in our country?"
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre
Labels: Canada Border Services, Canadian Immigration Numbers, Foreign Student Visa Holders, Housing Scarcity, Minister of Immigration, Strained Health Services, Trudeau Government
The Expedience and Usefulness of Sanctions
"The
sanctions applied to date in response to the situation in Ukraine do
not presently trigger inadmissibility [under the Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act]."
Most individuals have been] sanctioned under the Special Economic Measures Act due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine."
Canada Border Services Agency
"[Once
Bill S-8 currently before the House of Commons becomes law], the IRPA
[Immigration and Refugee Protection Act] inadmissibility grounds will
align with the SEMA [Special Economic Measures Act] sanction grounds,
and all individuals sanctioned pursuant to that Act will be inadmissible
to Canada."
Karine Martel, CBSA spokesperson
"Although
it does not trigger immediate inadmissibility the fact that someone is
sanctioned is of course taken into consideration [in deciding whether to
allow the individual into Canada]."
"We call on all parties to support the bill that would allow us to make this clear once [and] for all."
Maeva Proteau, director of communications for Minister of Foreign Affairs
"[It's
surprising those sanctioned individuals are admissible] because it's
hard to see a circumstance where it would be in the national interest to
let them in."
"Many countries choose to apply these sorts of asset freezes and the like in tandem."
Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow, Center for a New American Security, Washington, D.C.
So,
then, how effective are Canada's much-ballyhooed sanctions imposed
against Russia beginning in 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimean
Peninsula and increasing incrementally since its February 2022 invasion
of Ukraine, as a symbol of severe displeasure in concert with the rest
of the global community, unified in its condemnation of Russia's
violence against a neighbouring state. When unsavoury foreigners come
under sanction it is usually meant to imply they are also persona non
grata.
Not
so, evidently in Canada. When the Liberal government is asked for an
explanation, none is forthcoming. No details, no explanations other than
vague and opaque anodyne responses. A government that trumpeted its
intention before coming to power that it would dedicate itself to
transparency and accountability has become anything but reliable in
those areas.
The
number of Russians, Ukrainians and Belorusians sanctioned by Canada
total 1,533 since 2014. Most -- 1,232 individuals -- are sanctioned
under the Special Economic Measures Act, according to the CBSA Of that
number 912 are from Russia and 53 from Belarus while 257 are Ukrainian.
Their Canadian assets are frozen under the sanctions, yet they are not
automatically inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Act. Those listed under Section 1.1 of SEMA for gross human rights
violations only become inadmissible automatically.
"Since February 2022, there have been no additions to this part of the schedule to the Russia Regulations",
explained Jason Kung speaking for Foreign Affairs Canada. Questions
relating to the number of individuals sanctioned in response to the war
in Ukraine that are currently barred from entry to Canada remain
unanswered. "And also of these 1,500 people, how many of them have made an attempt to enter Canada, is another important question", added immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo.
Somewhat
reminiscent of the fact that Canada has also sanctioned Iranian
citizens linked to the current Islamic Republic government, yet they
seem to enter Canada at will, stay as long as they wish, conduct
business, as well as intimidating Iranian-Canadians and without doubt
engage in spying for Iran's intelligence services. The government of
Canada's ineptness and casual attitude toward how to protect Canadians,
the country's interests and conducting itself in concert with its G7
partners is missing the link of commitment.
And
nor would the CBSA respond when it was asked whether any individuals
have been refused entry at the border or whether any of the sanctioned
individuals are currently in Canada. No response. Inaction, just the way
the government has not bothered to stir itself over the presence of
Chinese police investigators setting up shop in police stations in
Canada to harass and intimidate Chinese Canadians and try to force them
to return to China to stand trial for fulminating against Beijing, by
threatening harm to their families in China.
The Putin regime’s attack on Ukraine is a war on democracy, human
rights and the right of Ukrainians to choose their own future. Be it
military, political or economic support, Canada will continue to be
there for Ukraine in its time of need and hold Russia accountable. A
central part of our response has been economic sanctions, to hold
accountable those responsible for Russia’s aggression.
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, today
announced that the Government will strengthen these measures by banning
sanctioned Russians from entering Canada. The Minister will introduce
legislative changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to ensure foreign nationals subject to sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) are inadmissible to Canada.
These changes will allow the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to
deny entry to, and remove, individuals subjected to sanctions, and will
allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials to
deny visas.
Once in force, these amendments to IRPA will apply to all foreign
nationals subject to sanctions by Canada, and any accompanying family
members. The IRPA establishes the applicable criteria for all foreign
nationals and permanent residents who seek to enter the country, and
defines the factors that render a person inadmissible.
Canada has sanctioned roughly 1,000 individuals from Russia, Ukraine
and Belarus, including Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Sergei
Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, and Konstantin
Anatolyevich Chuychenko. For more information and the full list of
individuals visit Sanctions – Russian invasion of Ukraine.
May 17, 2022 statement, Government of Canada
Labels: Canada Border Services, Canadian Sanctions on Russians, Government Ineptitude, Russian Invasion of Ukraine
