Refugees in Legal Limbo

This report explains the plight of the estimated 7,500 to 10,000 refugees in Canada who are living in ‘legal limbo.’  Refugees in legal limbo have been accepted to Canada but have not yet been granted full citizenship status. As a signatory to several international agreements, Canada has committed itself not to return refugees to countries where they fear prosecution.  Although these individuals are selected because they need protection, Canadian visa officers still screen them for their ability to settle successfully in Canada.  But many refugees are unable to produce the required identity documents, such as birth certificates and passports.  Refugees also must undergo security checks; in some cases, these take between five and ten years, depending on the country of origin. Another problem arises from the prohibitive processing and landing fees that Ottawa imposed in 1994 and 1995.

Without ‘landed’ status, these refugees cannot vote, obtain a public loan for postsecondary education, work in certain professions (e.g., education and health care) or travel out of the country.  The report concludes that the long-term physical and mental health implications for refugees of living with such uncertainty are staggering.

ISBN – 1-894159-21-7