Question Period Note: SUDAN

Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan.

• Canada continues to call for an end to violence in Sudan and remains deeply concerned for the safety of the people in the country.
• We have implemented several special measures to help those affected by the situation in Sudan.
• On April 30, we introduced new measures to support Sudanese temporary residents who are currently in Canada and wish to extend their stay.
• Sudanese nationals can apply for an extension of their status in Canada and move between temporary streams, allowing them to continue studying, working or visiting family free of charge.
• We are prioritizing the processing of completed temporary and permanent residence applications from individuals who are still in Sudan and for those who have fled the country to the surrounding region.
If pressed
Canada will waive passport and permanent resident travel document fees for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Sudan who wish to leave. We are also waiving passport requirements for those who may have lost their passports during the conflict, to allow persons approved for permanent residence to come to Canada.
Foreign nationals who fled Sudan with their Canadian family members—including Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents—will be able to apply for temporary residence without paying the processing fee. Once they’ have arrived in Canada, they’ will be able to apply for an open work permit or study permit, and permanent residence under the family class, all free of charge.

If pressed on definition of family:

The definition of family member is outlined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and sets out the core principles and concepts that govern Canada's immigration and refugee protection programs.

If pressed on refugees:
• Canada has a proud and long-standing tradition of providing protection to the most vulnerable people. Canada currently accepts many refugees from Sudan. We’re continuing to work closely with partners to facilitate the processing of these refugees. We’re also monitoring the situation and will continue to adapt our response as appropriate.

If pressed on other responses to crises:
• When responding to international crises, Canada tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support, while reflecting the realities of the situation on the ground. The current situation in Khartoum is volatile and continues to deteriorate.

• On April 15, 2023, armed conflict erupted between two rival factions in Sudan, resulting in heavy fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and other parts of the country. The security situation in the country has rapidly deteriorated.

• As of April 20, the UN is reporting that at least 330 civilians have been killed and 3,200 have been injured. At least 10,000 individuals have been displaced from Khartoum, while other residents are sheltering in place. According to the UNHCR, an additional 10,000 – 20,000 refugees have reportedly fled to Chad from western Sudan. Khartoum International Airport has been shut down and all airlines have postponed flights. Hospitals have also been widely affected, with reports suggesting that one-third of Sudan’s health facilities are not functioning. Critical civilian infrastructure has been significantly damaged.

Assisted Departure Efforts:

• IRCC has been working closely with Global Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces to support their evacuations operation, to enable departure from Sudan to a third country for Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents, locally engaged staff and their immediate family members.

• Those eligible for evacuation were immediate family members of Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents who meet the definition of family member in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Specifically, this refers to:
o the spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
o a dependent child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or of their spouse or common-law partner;
o a dependent child of a dependent child.

• The evacuation scope was limited to a “regional extraction only” to a third country, and as per the Request for Assistance signed between Global Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces, focused on Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents, locally engaged staff and their immediate family members. Those evacuated will be financially responsible for onward travel to Canada, should they choose to do so.

• The Department mobilized an implementation team to support the evacuation efforts as follows:

o An IRCC field team with an experienced crisis response lead was deployed to Nairobi. With IRCC presence in many countries in Africa and in anticipated satellite locations (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan), additional on the ground support can be deployed as needed.

o Two operational teams (24/7) were physically embedded in the interdepartmental coordination units at Global Affairs.
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o To support priority processing for overseas immigration applications for clients that were able to exit Sudan, a priority processing team is being established. This will be a mix of IRCC Mission and remote decision makers from the integrated network.

• IRCC has a significant immigration client inventory in Sudan. As of April 27th:
o There are 6,200 persons in Sudan in the permanent residence processing inventory. The majority of these, approximately 5,500, are in the resettled refugee category (550 Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) and 5,000 Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs)). There are an additional 1,500 permanent residence clients in Sudan in the landing inventory.
o As of April 27th, there are also 270 clients in temporary residence (visa, work permit and study permit) inventories in Sudan.

In-Canada extensions

• As of April 30, IRCC implemented new immigration measures to support Sudanese temporary residents who are currently in Canada. A new public policy is in effect to allow Sudanese nationals to apply for a free extension of their temporary status in Canada and move between temporary resident streams so that they can continue to study, work, or visit family, until it is safe to go back to Sudan. It will also grant free open work permits to clients, if desired, to afford access to the labour market, and greater flexibility to support themselves while they are in Canada.

• These measures will help ensure the continued safety of the Sudanese population already in Canada, keep families together, and give them a safe place to stay.

• Between April 23 and April 27, 90 applications for temporary residence extensions for Sudanese nationals have been processed.

Measures for residents in Sudan with pending immigration applications

• The situation in Sudan is constantly evolving, and movement within the country continues to be difficult and dangerous. This has an impact on our ability to process new applications at the current time.

• To facilitate immigration applications for those still in Sudan so they can travel once it is safe to do so, the Government of Canada is prioritizing the processing of completed temporary and permanent residence applications already in the system from people still in the country.

• This includes visitor visa applications for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, so they can join their loved ones here.

• Those eligible for priority processing will still be subject to all other legislative eligibility and admissibility requirements.

• Between April 23 and April 27, 260 overseas refugee and humanitarian applications for residents of Sudan have been processed.

Immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who departed Sudan

• To facilitate immigration applications for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents who fled Sudan, Canada will issue immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents travel documents free of charge, to facilitate onward travel to Canada.

• Those who have arrived before July 15, 2023 will be able to apply, free of charge, for an open work permit or a study permit. They will also be able to apply for permanent residence under the Family Class, free of charge, and have their applications prioritized.

• The public policy is in effect from May 1, 2023 until April 30, 2024.

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