Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Law Firm Blog

How to make a refugee claim in Canada

The process to initiate a refugee claim/claim for protection in Canada is relatively straightforward. There is a lot of information about how Canada determines refugee protection on line. A starting point would be information on CIC's website here. Additional resources are available at the IRB's website here. Here's a publication from the Library of Parliament - dated but useful here. In essence, once an individual within Canada (either arriving at the airport, making a claim at an inland immigration office (eg. CIC at Harry Hays building downtown Calgary) or making a claim at the US/Canada border - but is an exemption to the Safe Third Country Agreement) informs CIC of an intention to make a refugee claim, the refugee eligibility determination process begins. This may take different permutations. For example, in Calgary, once you notify CIC of your intention to claim refugee protection at their offices at Room 170 220 4th Ave SE (Harry Hays bldg) they will give you a date several weeks away for an 'eligibility interview'. You will also need to complete a one page form indicating the refugee applicant's name, date of birth and whether they require an interpreter. If required, CIC will provide one for... Read more →

Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate If immigration is of a 'small benefit' to the United Kingdom could the same be true of Canada? A recent influential committee of the House of Lords indicates that immigration has had little or no economic benefit of Britons and that competition from immigrants has had a negative impact on lower salaried employees and has contributed to high house prices. The peers want limits on immigration levels. A 2005 Fraser Institute publication - "Immigration and the Welfare State in Canada" made a similar claim and concluded that Canada's "welfare system" which relies on progressive taxation and provision of universal government benefits results in "substantial net transfers of taxpayers' money" from "Canadians to the recent immigrants." Even if the Fraser Institute report is derided as partisan and biased, the question of the appropriateness of current immigration levels is still relevant given the foreshadow of the issues of multiculturalism and immigration from across the pond. Expressing a sentiment that could, in any way, be construed as anti-immigrant would be political anathema in this country. The Conservatives are already shut out of the immigrant rich cities of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. In 1969, the iconic Lord Denning, in the British Schmidt... Read more →

Immigration 'small benefit' to the UK

Interesting BBC article here. I've noted before that the UK, in its approach to immigration and multiculturalism can often appear as a bellwether for Canada's own issues. It appears that a House of Lords committee has concluded that record levels of immigration has had little or no benefit to the economic prosperity of Britons. Read more →