'Stay tuned' for Canadian visa reform, says Kenney
July 15 2009 by Mark Johnstone
Jason Kenney plans Canadian visa reform
Canada’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is set to launch a new refugee-claims system that will root out those who make illegitimate claims for a Canadian visa.
Kenney is currently working on a reform proposal that will act as a blueprint for any new system. He urges Canadians to “stay tuned” with regard to any such future changes to Canadian immigration legislation.
The need for reform follows Canada’s controversial move to reinstate visa requirements on Czechs and Mexicans to curb the rising flow of claimants.
The decision was met with protest from the Czech Republic who recalled their ambassador from Canada. Mexico also asserted its opposition, claiming around 250,000 Mexican tourists will be affected by the ruling.
With the Czech Republic asking the European Union to help revoke the Canadian visa decision against their country, Kenney defended Canada’s decision by stating: "When we raise with our partners in foreign countries the issue of false asylum claims, or large flows like we've seen from Mexico and Czech Republic, they turn the discussion back on us, and say, 'Your system is inviting this kind of abuse. And you need to fix your system.' "
The Canadian Immigration Minister argued that any system “fix” needed to accept or reject refugees quickly.
He said: "This does underscore the need to reform our asylum system so that it ensures that real victims of persecution get swift relief and protection in Canada, and that economic migrants seeking to abuse our generosity are shown to the door quickly."
It is unclear what precise changes the Canadian government plans to make to its immigration laws, but Kenney stated that changes made by the UK in 2004 made an “interesting reference point.”
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