Canada under pressure to counter Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’
February 2, 2017
Rights groups urge Canada to lift cap on refugee sponsorship after US bars entry to refugees and immigrants.
Canada said it would grant temporary resident visas to anyone with a valid US visa who was stranded in Canada as a result of the Trump’s order [Al Jazeera]
Toronto, Canada – Canada has said it will not boost its refugee intake in 2017, despite widespread calls for Ottawa to take action to counter US President Donald Trump’s executive order barring entry to refugees and immigrants from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Canada plans to resettle 40,000 refugees and protected persons in the country this year, both through government support and private sponsorship.
“Our immigration levels plan has an allocation that is historically high for refugees,” said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen earlier this week. “We intend to maintain that plan.”
But human rights groups and refugee advocates are calling on Canada to lift its cap on refugee sponsorship in 2017, especially in light of curbs to immigration south of the border.
Passed last Friday, Trump’s executive order blocks immigration from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Somalia for 90 days, suspends the US refugee programme for 120 days, and indefinitely bars Syrian refugees from being resettled until such a time that is “consistent with the national interest”.
