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The Socio-Economic Integration of Irregular' Asylum Seekers: Government and Community Responses. 2019.
The Socio-Economic Integration of Irregular' Asylum Seekers: Government and Community Responses. 2019.
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Asylum claimants = 1 in 20 newcomers
to Canada in 2017
Sources: IRCC, 2018 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration; IRCC, Asylum claims by year – 2017. https://www.canada.ca 3
/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/asylum-claims/asylum-claims-2017.html [accessed 2019-04-15]
Asylum claims, Canada (total), Quebec
and Ontario, 1998-2018
Sources: Compiled from CIC/IRCC publications and online data, various years
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Settlement context of asylum claimants
• Canada’s refugee determination process
– Protected person status leads to permanent residency
– Long processing times
• Social citizenship of asylum claimants
– Right to a fair hearing
– Geographic mobility rights
– Basic health care
– Work permit
– Last resort social assistance
• Newcomer settlement services for asylum claimants
– Ineligible for federally-funded settlement programs
– Provincial, municipal, faith-based, community sectors
compensate somewhat
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Refugees & protected persons = 15%
of new permanent residents in 2017
Contributing factors:
• Trump administration policy changes
• Social networks
• International reputation of Canada’s
reception of refugees
• Safe Third Country Agreement (Canada-
US) affects the chosen route
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Profile of recent asylum seekers to Quebec
in 2017-2018
Quebec Irregular Border Crossings 37,354
20%
18%
15%
12%
10%
8%
6%
5%
5% 4%
3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
1%
0%
Source: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/b6cbcf4d-f763-4924-a2fb-8cc4a06e3de4
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Government Responses
• Federal
– Humane response at the border
– Expedited work permits
– Provided funding for temporary accommodation
– But recent action to try to stem arrivals
• Provincial
– Opened new temporary refugee shelters
– Increased social worker capacity in the provincial refugee claimant referral centre
– Increased spots in “welcome classes” in schools
– Increased funding available to support refugee claimants’ housing search (2 new
organizations)
– Non-constructive responses: enforcement of old regulation excluding asylum
seekers from low-cost childcare!
• Municipal
– Initial response: Declaration of becoming a “Sanctuary City” (since dialed back)
– BINAM (new player in newcomer settlement): financed 2 organizations to support
(1) refugee claimant youth and (2) job seekers
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Relevance of existing literature
• Relatively little documented about the challenges
and outcomes of Canadian refugee claimants in
regards to:
– Housing
– Employment
– Access to health & social services
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Early findings
FOCUS GROUPS WITH COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS IN QUEBEC
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Housing challenges