October 28, 2009

Refugee Reform in 2010?

Q I have been hearing a lot about changes to the refugee system. Are these going to be the biggest changes we have seen in some time? I am a Canadian and I hope that these changes may make our system work better and are long overdue.

A. I receive and welcome many questions from persons who are Canadian born or naturalized with an interest in immigration and/or refugee law and policy. The details of proposed changes have not been released but the Government has been quite vocal about wanting to make the refugee system more accessible to those in need of protection while eliminating the “clogging” of the process by those who are not in need of protection. When these changes come to light they will be another in an ongoing series of changes. Immigration policy is constantly evolving. In fact, much of the mythology that surrounds immigration and refugee processing is because many persons assume certain policies that once were in place are still in effect. The genuine aim of any change is to improve the system but it is an imperfect science and on the whole Canada’s immigration system had to become more responsive and open to remain globally competitive. Thank you for your question.