Question Period Note: Afghanistan

Canada reaching the milestone of welcoming 40,000 Afghans.

• Canada has met its goal to welcome at least 40,000 refugees and vulnerable Afghans since August 2021, one of the largest commitments in the world. We are proud that more than 45,800 Afghans are now building their new lives in Canada and making important contributions to their communities.
• It is thanks to continued collaboration with key partners, including countries in the region, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, non-governmental organizations, and like-minded countries that so many Afghans have been able to find safety in Canada.
• The significant efforts of provincial and territorial partners, municipalities, resettlement service providers and thousands of Canadians have made this achievement possible.
• We recognize however that many applications from Afghans remain in process, and many of these individuals are facing a challenging humanitarian situation. We will continue to process eligible applications submitted under these programs on a priority basis.

If pressed
• Working with like-minded countries, partners in the region, and non-government organizations, the Government is prioritizing efforts to support Afghan clients in leaving Afghanistan safely and facilitating travel for those in third countries.

Program Commitment Caps:
• Program intake caps and/or expiry dates are a standard practice in public policies.
• Canada continues to make progress in its efforts to resettle vulnerable Afghans and we will continue to show flexibility in our approach to the situation in Afghanistan.
• A crisis of this magnitude means that there will always be more demand for resettlement to Canada than we are able to provide. We are doing everything we can to help Afghans inside and outside of Afghanistan.
• Many of the special programs and measures under the Afghan Resettlement Initiative have received enough applications to fill all available spaces or have otherwise expired. We continue to process applications already submitted under these programs and measures on a priority basis
Supporting Safe Passage for Clients in Afghanistan:
• A large number of our remaining Afghan clients under the special programs are in Afghanistan and face multiple challenges as they seek to leave. While the majority of IRCC clients in Afghanistan have completed the first stages of processing, many others face great risks when attempting to leave Afghanistan or are simply unable to make the journey to a third country unassisted, to complete the final stages of processing.
• Bill C-41 received Royal Assent on June 20, 2023. The amendments to the Criminal Code provide for the Public Safety Minister to grant authorizations that shield government officials and implementing partners from criminal liability when carrying out immigration activities in Afghanistan, including safe passage.
• IRCC and Global Affairs Canada are working with Public Safety to implement the new authorization regime.
• Entry and exit requirements and increasingly stringent limitations on the movement of women and girls present significant challenges in facilitating safe passage out of Afghanistan.
Situation in Pakistan
• The Government of Canada, including the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad, is actively engaging with the Government of Pakistan on the resettlement of Afghans. I have also been in contact with the Government of Pakistan.
• The Government of Canada has expressed its concern to the Government of Pakistan regarding its Repatriation Plan, and the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad is monitoring the situation closely.
• IRCC is in touch with applicants. Clients facing detention who need to demonstrate to the Government of Pakistan that they have an ongoing application can use any of the communications that they have received from IRCC related to their application.
If pressed on what the Government will do in the future

• Due to ongoing bilateral discussions and safety reasons, we cannot speak to any potential future plans.

Litigation:
• We cannot comment on specific cases that are before the courts.
• When responding to international crises, Canada tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support.

Program Pathways

• Over half of our commitment has been dedicated to those who assisted Canada, and their families.

• The remainder of the spaces have focused on resettling vulnerable Afghans from priority groups, such as women leaders and religious and ethnic minorities, under a humanitarian program.

Afghans in Pakistan

• Due to upcoming elections, the Government of Pakistan currently has an interim Prime Minister in place, supported by a caretaker cabinet and government to ensure continuation of key operations.

• IRCC continues to work with the Government of Pakistan to expedite the movement of Afghans to Canada.

Criminal Code Amendments

• The new authorization regime will help reduce some of the barriers IRCC faces in supporting clients to leave Afghanistan safely.

• One of the specified activities that is eligible for authorization under the legislation is immigration services. This includes activities related to immigration processing, pre-departure support, delivery of passports or travel documents and logistics required to provide safe passage out of a region controlled by a terrorist group. This could include conducting immigration processing in Afghanistan, and supporting the movement of Canada-bound Afghans out of Afghanistan.

Facilitation Letters

• To facilitate the evacuation of vulnerable Afghans, the Government of Canada sent letters directly to Afghan nationals who were eligible to come to Canada to help them clear checkpoints on the way to and at the airport in Kabul.

• IRCC facilitation letters were only issued from official Government of Canada email addresses and were sent directly to clients. IRCC did not authorize any third party to issue facilitation letters on its behalf.

• When IRCC became aware of the potential use of inauthentic facilitation letters, the Department undertook an internal review and determined that no IRCC employee issued or authorized a third party to issue these inauthentic letters. In accordance with the Department’s protocols and authorities, IRCC made a referral to the appropriate law enforcement partners.

• IRCC’s internal review confirms that timely program integrity verifications were conducted and the department took the appropriate actions to safeguard the integrity of the immigration system and to refer issues beyond its authorities to appropriate law enforcement partners.

Application Processing:
• IRCC continues to process applications for Afghan nationals on a priority basis, and we have adopted facilitative approaches to expedite processes given the unique circumstances in Afghanistan and the fact that many Afghan clients have limited or no documentation.
• IRCC remains in close contact with Afghan clients, including those who are still in Afghanistan.
• IRCC has sent officers to a variety of locations across the globe to provide surge capacity and support processing, biometric collection, and movement of Afghan clients.
• The Government of Canada continues to work with multiple partners to explore potential options for biometrics collection in Afghanistan.