Proposals for a Humanitarian Regularization Program
Montreal, July 17, 2022
In an October 22 Update, the Migrant Rights Network (MRN) explains that people become undocumented "because of the failures of immigration policy. There is no access to permanent residency for most low-wage migrants in Canada, and only 60 per cent of refugee claimants are accepted. Almost all undocumented immigrants in Canada were previously on a temporary authorization (work, study, refugee claimant permit). They reached a point where they could not get permanent residency and the federal government refused to renew their permits. They were faced with an impossible choice: either return to a country where they may face war, discrimination, climate catastrophe or no economic opportunities and leave communities, families and relationships in Canada OR stay without access to any rights and services and in daily fear of deportation. Those who stay become undocumented immigrants.
"Without permanent resident status, undocumented people are unable to assert rights at work or access basic health care. They face discrimination and exploitation because of the well-founded fear of deportation. Non-status people are part of communities. They are neighbours, classmates, parents, spouses, children, coworkers and caretakers. Because of lack of permanent resident status, undocumented people experience insecure housing, abuse at work, poverty and fear. The uncertainty about the future, constant stress of making ends meet and risks of detention and deportation negatively impacts our health. Living without status requires a tremendous amount of resilience."
In 2007, the MRN informs, "the
RCMP estimated that there were between 200,000 to 500,000
undocumented people in Canada" and since then, no new analysis
has been done. However, "the number of temporary work and study
permits issued in Canada have increased at least four-fold, with
a likely corresponding increase in the number of undocumented
people. We believe that there are at least 500,000 non-status
immigrants."
The MRN's proposal is that "[r]egularization should be considered a minimum floor of rights," because "when any group is excluded, the overall economy suffers. If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that everyone is connected and the exclusion of any person or group of people from equal rights and services is harmful to the whole.
"In order to ensure the most effective program is created," they say, "a permanent coordinating table must be established with the Migrant Rights Network so that undocumented people and refugees are involved from design to implementation to evaluation."
They propose "[a] simple broad program" that "[a]ll undocumented people residing in Canada must be able to apply for and receive permanent resident status." The residency requirement, they say, "should include all periods in Canada, including prior to being undocumented, and should be no more than two years in Canada."
"Dependents must be defined broadly to include all de facto family members and a wide range of documents must be allowed to prove family relations."
"There should be first-stage processing of work permits. Permits should be automatically renewed until the application is fully processed.
"The program should be permanent and available on an ongoing basis because the factors leading to people becoming undocumented will continue for the foreseeable future.
"Changes must also be made to immigration and refugee policy to ensure that all migrants including workers, refugees, international students and others are guaranteed permanent resident status so that they do not become undocumented."
For more information on the proposals for a regularization program, click here.
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 32 - December 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53322.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca