Less than halfway to its goal of bringing 40,000 Afghans to Canada, the federal government is no longer accepting new recommendations for a special immigration program designed to prioritize former members of the armed forces or the Canadian government and their families.
CBC News has learned that the government is processing the last of 18,000 applications filled out by Afghans hoping to come here through the special immigration program. Refugee advocates say the decision to end the program abandons Afghans desperate to come to this country.
The program was created almost a year ago, weeks before Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021 and before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government promised to bring 40,000 Afghans to safety here.
Canada’s online immigration, refugee and citizenship guide the program portal is still working, but a spokesman for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser confirmed in a media statement that all places on the program were taken.
“IRCC has applications for more than 15,000 Afghans and their family members in various stages of processing,” she wrote. “Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and National Defense have shared recommendations with IRCC for the remaining seats.”
The Toronto Star first reported that the program appeared to be on track to end in mid-June, prompting a coalition of humanitarian organizations to issue a joint statement condemning the move.
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