Canadian immigration policy for Afghan heroes still not in place
January 25 2010 by Liam Clifford
An agreement to grant Canadian citizenship to Afghans who have helped Canada’s Army in the war is yet to be fulfilled.
Nine months ago Canadian immigration authorities in Ottawa said that Canadian visa applications
from Afghans who risked their lives to help Canadian forces in Afghanistan would
be expedited.
Interpreters working in Kadahar, who are helping these
Afghans to make their visa applications, claim the process is complicated and
surrounded in bureaucracy. Lal Mohammad, who oversees the interpreters, says
they were only briefed on the new measures three months ago, adding, "If this
does not work, this will be the worst memory of our life. They will break our
hearts."
The application process begins with applicants filling out a
form and providing supporting documents to the International Organization for
Migration in Kandahar. This group then passes the application to the Joint
Referral Committee – which does not yet exist.
The Canadian immigration department says the introduction of the expedited process has been “negatively
impacted” by the security situation in Kandahar. However, it does claim that a
third-party organization is providing assistance to those who hope to move to
Canada under the scheme.
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