‘My heart is crying’: Afghan refugees wait on family members to join them in Canada
By Canadian Press
Dec 22, 2022 |
TORONTO — Khalid Khogiani arrived in Canada from Afghanistan through Pakistan more than a year ago and has been waiting for the Canadian government to process the refugee applications for his wife, mother and siblings ever since.
The 34-year-old, who worked as a computer assistant and interpreter with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar between 2009 and 2011, said he applied for asylum at Canada’s embassy in Kabul and got his visa before the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital in August 2021. He arrived in Canada two months after the takeover, but the rest of his family stayed in the family’s house in Afghanistan.
“When I remember my mother, I cry, my heart is crying, my mind is crying,” he said.
“We spend difficult time … when you are separated from your family and you come to Canada and your family is in Afghanistan, you know the pain.”
Khogiani is among the Afghan refugees who came to Canada on their own or with some of their family members since the fall of Kabul. Many who applied for their loved ones to join are left to wait for their applications to be approved.
The federal Liberal government initially promised to settle 20,000 Afghan refugees and then doubled that commitment to 40,000 during the election campaign in 2021.More than 26,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada.
As many more wait, the situation in Afghanistan is further deteriorating — especially for girls and women. The Taliban rulers banned female students from attending university this week in their latest crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms.
The Taliban was ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition, that included Canada, in 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11, but returned last year after the U.S. abruptly and chaotically departed.
Khogiani said his horrific one-and-a-half-month journey from Kabul to Toronto started when agents working with Canada smuggled his brother and him through the border to Pakistan at night.
They had to hide from the Pakistani police in Islamabad until his flight to Canada was finally booked, he added.
He tried to bring the rest of his family, but the Canadian government told him that adding others to his application would jeopardize his evacuation.
“I said to the (immigration department), I have my family there, so I cannot go to Canada without my family,” Khogiani said.
“They said, ‘if you want to include your other family members, your case will be delayed. Do not do that’.”
The Afghan refugee, who now works as a technician with Bell Canada in Bradford, Ont., said he eventually decided to come to Canada on his own and apply from here for his family members to join him.
His brother landed in Toronto a few weeks after him but the rest of his family members, who recently moved to Pakistan, are still waiting for their refugee applications to be processed, he said.
“I was scared. I was worried. So, I decide I need to go alone,” Khogiani said.
Mona Elshayal, co-founder of a volunteer group called Canadian Connections that has been helping Afghan refugees to come to Canada, said many of the Afghan refugees who arrived here last year filled out the forms to bring their family members right after landing in Canada.
“People who came (after) August 2021 who are trying to bring their families, other family members, who helped the Canadian government or military and followed their processes, called in, registered them, filled in the paperwork, there’s no updates on their paperwork,” she said.
“There’s no way to get an update on the application — if anybody is ever going to come.”
She said the delay has a negative affect those who came here, but it’s devastating those who are waiting overseas to be united with their loved ones in Canada.
“There’s people who have travelled outside Afghanistan waiting for the Canadian government to bring them in and there’s no update on their application,” she said.
“They’re in limbo, because they’re stuck. They can’t go back. They don’t know if the Canadian government is ever going to bring them.”
A spokeswoman for the federal immigration department said the government recognizes that’s it’s important to keep families together but it’s facing a “significant challenge” to process the family reunification applications for Afghan refugees as many of the family members are still in Afghanistan.
“We are navigating a constantly evolving situation in Afghanistan in which the government of Canada has no military or diplomatic presence,” Michelle Carbert said in a statement.
“Movement out of Afghanistan by air and land continues to be very difficult and dangerous, and the absence of stable conditions and ever-changing circumstances around exit documentation requirements impacts our ability to move people quickly.”
Carbert said the government is generally unable to process an application until applicants reach a third country, submit their biometrics and meet other requirements.
“Applications continue to be processed as quickly as possible both remotely and digitally through our network of visa officers,” she said. “These cases are also often very complex and processing will take longer as we work to receive information and work through their application. Every step along the way can bring a unique challenge depending on the individual’s circumstances.”
Stephen Watt, co-founder of Northern Lights Canada, a non-profit that’s been helping Afghan refugees in Toronto, said Canada’s response to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan has not met the expectations and needs of those who helped Canada in Afghanistan.
“Canada talks about trying to be humanitarian and help these people, but then it handicaps its own programs with things like quota limits and paperwork requirements.”
“The consequence of all this is not that people (here) feel happy that they’re able to help people (in Afghanistan) who deserve it, they just feel frustrated and dismayed and disappointed.”
The government introduced a new program in September to allow Canadian individuals and organizations to privately sponsor up to 3,000 Afghan refugees who don’t have refugee status from the United Nations refugee agency or a foreign state.
But for Watt, it is another example of Canada’s lacklustre response to the crisis in Afghanistan because it was not only capped at 3,000 applications, but it also required private sponsors to complete a special training course.
“If Canada really meant what it said about being a humanitarian country that has close ties with Afghan people, especially the ones who have relatives here or who have helped us, they would make things easier, not harder every time,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.
Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
By Canadian Press
Dec 22, 2022 |
TORONTO — Khalid Khogiani arrived in Canada from Afghanistan through Pakistan more than a year ago and has been waiting for the Canadian government to process the refugee applications for his wife, mother and siblings ever since.
The 34-year-old, who worked as a computer assistant and interpreter with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar between 2009 and 2011, said he applied for asylum at Canada’s embassy in Kabul and got his visa before the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital in August 2021. He arrived in Canada two months after the takeover, but the rest of his family stayed in the family’s house in Afghanistan.
“When I remember my mother, I cry, my heart is crying, my mind is crying,” he said.
“We spend difficult time … when you are separated from your family and you come to Canada and your family is in Afghanistan, you know the pain.”
Khogiani is among the Afghan refugees who came to Canada on their own or with some of their family members since the fall of Kabul. Many who applied for their loved ones to join are left to wait for their applications to be approved.
The federal Liberal government initially promised to settle 20,000 Afghan refugees and then doubled that commitment to 40,000 during the election campaign in 2021.More than 26,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada.
As many more wait, the situation in Afghanistan is further deteriorating — especially for girls and women. The Taliban rulers banned female students from attending university this week in their latest crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms.
The Taliban was ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition, that included Canada, in 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11, but returned last year after the U.S. abruptly and chaotically departed.
Khogiani said his horrific one-and-a-half-month journey from Kabul to Toronto started when agents working with Canada smuggled his brother and him through the border to Pakistan at night.
They had to hide from the Pakistani police in Islamabad until his flight to Canada was finally booked, he added.
He tried to bring the rest of his family, but the Canadian government told him that adding others to his application would jeopardize his evacuation.
“I said to the (immigration department), I have my family there, so I cannot go to Canada without my family,” Khogiani said.
“They said, ‘if you want to include your other family members, your case will be delayed. Do not do that’.”
The Afghan refugee, who now works as a technician with Bell Canada in Bradford, Ont., said he eventually decided to come to Canada on his own and apply from here for his family members to join him.
His brother landed in Toronto a few weeks after him but the rest of his family members, who recently moved to Pakistan, are still waiting for their refugee applications to be processed, he said.
“I was scared. I was worried. So, I decide I need to go alone,” Khogiani said.
Mona Elshayal, co-founder of a volunteer group called Canadian Connections that has been helping Afghan refugees to come to Canada, said many of the Afghan refugees who arrived here last year filled out the forms to bring their family members right after landing in Canada.
“People who came (after) August 2021 who are trying to bring their families, other family members, who helped the Canadian government or military and followed their processes, called in, registered them, filled in the paperwork, there’s no updates on their paperwork,” she said.
“There’s no way to get an update on the application — if anybody is ever going to come.”
She said the delay has a negative affect those who came here, but it’s devastating those who are waiting overseas to be united with their loved ones in Canada.
“There’s people who have travelled outside Afghanistan waiting for the Canadian government to bring them in and there’s no update on their application,” she said.
“They’re in limbo, because they’re stuck. They can’t go back. They don’t know if the Canadian government is ever going to bring them.”
A spokeswoman for the federal immigration department said the government recognizes that’s it’s important to keep families together but it’s facing a “significant challenge” to process the family reunification applications for Afghan refugees as many of the family members are still in Afghanistan.
“We are navigating a constantly evolving situation in Afghanistan in which the government of Canada has no military or diplomatic presence,” Michelle Carbert said in a statement.
“Movement out of Afghanistan by air and land continues to be very difficult and dangerous, and the absence of stable conditions and ever-changing circumstances around exit documentation requirements impacts our ability to move people quickly.”
Carbert said the government is generally unable to process an application until applicants reach a third country, submit their biometrics and meet other requirements.
“Applications continue to be processed as quickly as possible both remotely and digitally through our network of visa officers,” she said. “These cases are also often very complex and processing will take longer as we work to receive information and work through their application. Every step along the way can bring a unique challenge depending on the individual’s circumstances.”
Stephen Watt, co-founder of Northern Lights Canada, a non-profit that’s been helping Afghan refugees in Toronto, said Canada’s response to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan has not met the expectations and needs of those who helped Canada in Afghanistan.
“Canada talks about trying to be humanitarian and help these people, but then it handicaps its own programs with things like quota limits and paperwork requirements.”
“The consequence of all this is not that people (here) feel happy that they’re able to help people (in Afghanistan) who deserve it, they just feel frustrated and dismayed and disappointed.”
The government introduced a new program in September to allow Canadian individuals and organizations to privately sponsor up to 3,000 Afghan refugees who don’t have refugee status from the United Nations refugee agency or a foreign state.
But for Watt, it is another example of Canada’s lacklustre response to the crisis in Afghanistan because it was not only capped at 3,000 applications, but it also required private sponsors to complete a special training course.
“If Canada really meant what it said about being a humanitarian country that has close ties with Afghan people, especially the ones who have relatives here or who have helped us, they would make things easier, not harder every time,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.
Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
Ottawa urged to pressure Pakistan not to deport Afghan refugees in line for Canada
The federal Liberal government is facing calls to intervene amid reports that Pakistan is preparing to arrest and expel Afghan refugees, many of whom are waiting to escape to Canada.
Ottawa urged to pressure Pakistan to stop deporting Afghans, speed up refugee claims© Provided by The Canadian Press
The Liberal government promised in August 2021 to resettle 40,000 Afghans who have fled their country to escape the Taliban.
That includes thousands of Afghans with connections to Canada, including former interpreters who served alongside the Canadian Armed Forces.
But only about 27,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada more than a year later, with thousands waiting in Pakistan for word on when they can depart.
Now there are fears that Pakistan will start arresting and deporting Afghans who have sought temporary refuge, including hundreds already approved to come to Canada, at the end of the month.
The Pakistan government has set a deadline of Dec. 31 for foreigners without visas, or with expired visas, to leave. If not, they face the risk of arrest and deportation.
The fear is that if sent back, they will face persecution or death at the hands of the Taliban.
"This threat will compound what is already one of the world's worst humanitarian crises ever," said Wendy Cukier of Lifeline Afghanistan, an organization that has been helping bring Afghan refugees to Canada.
"Canada must use every means at its disposal — diplomacy, humanitarian aid, even trade negotiations and economic partnerships — to persuade Pakistan to work with Canada to resolve this issue."
The Canadian government has received assurances from Pakistan that it will not arrest or deport Afghans after the Dec. 31 deadline, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Dubois said in a statement on Friday.
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"While there have been concerns that some Afghan refugees in Pakistan may be returned to Afghanistan or jailed after the Dec. 31 expiration of this waiver, the government of Pakistan has indicated that the only enforcement action that could be taken against foreigners overstaying their visas will be the re-imposition of fines and potentially being blacklisted from returning to Pakistan," she said.
"Canada appreciates the ongoing efforts by the government of Pakistan to facilitate the safe passage of Canada-bound Afghan refugees," Dubois added.
"We continue to advocate for streamlined procedures and strengthened protections for vulnerable Afghans and appreciate Pakistan's support in helping secure routes of safe passage."
But that is cold comfort to NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, who says she has been warning the government about the impending deadline since the Pakistan government first announced its plan in October.
Kwan pointed to numerous reports in recent weeks of Pakistan authorities checking foreigners' visas and making arrests as proof of the threat.
"The situation on the ground for people who are trying to escape persecution from the Taliban is that this is not reassuring at all," she said. "The reality is that they are living in fear every day."
Kwan said she has personally received text messages about Pakistani police having raided a hotel where Afghan refugees were staying.
"And the only way I'm told that people cannot get arrested in that process is to pay heavy bribes," she said.
"The reality is that people have been hiding, and they have not been working. They don't really have the resources to be able to afford to pay these hefty bribes. That is what's happening on the ground for people."
The federal government has been repeatedly criticized for the pace of its work to bring Afghan refugees to Canada, facing anger and frustration over delays and what many see as a lack of urgency.
Kwan echoed Cukier's call for the government to put whatever pressure possible on Pakistan not to act on its Dec. 31 deadline, and for Ottawa to speed up resettlement efforts.
"There are people who served Canada, they are the loved ones of people who put their lives at risk in serving Canada, and now the Taliban is hunting them down aggressively," she said.
"So, the government needs to make good on their promise that they would bring these Afghans to safety."
The federal Liberal government is facing calls to intervene amid reports that Pakistan is preparing to arrest and expel Afghan refugees, many of whom are waiting to escape to Canada.
Ottawa urged to pressure Pakistan to stop deporting Afghans, speed up refugee claims© Provided by The Canadian Press
The Liberal government promised in August 2021 to resettle 40,000 Afghans who have fled their country to escape the Taliban.
That includes thousands of Afghans with connections to Canada, including former interpreters who served alongside the Canadian Armed Forces.
But only about 27,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada more than a year later, with thousands waiting in Pakistan for word on when they can depart.
Now there are fears that Pakistan will start arresting and deporting Afghans who have sought temporary refuge, including hundreds already approved to come to Canada, at the end of the month.
The Pakistan government has set a deadline of Dec. 31 for foreigners without visas, or with expired visas, to leave. If not, they face the risk of arrest and deportation.
The fear is that if sent back, they will face persecution or death at the hands of the Taliban.
"This threat will compound what is already one of the world's worst humanitarian crises ever," said Wendy Cukier of Lifeline Afghanistan, an organization that has been helping bring Afghan refugees to Canada.
"Canada must use every means at its disposal — diplomacy, humanitarian aid, even trade negotiations and economic partnerships — to persuade Pakistan to work with Canada to resolve this issue."
The Canadian government has received assurances from Pakistan that it will not arrest or deport Afghans after the Dec. 31 deadline, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Dubois said in a statement on Friday.
Related video: Afghan-Canadian documents dismantling of women's rights under Taliban (cbc.ca)
Duration 3:45 View on Watch
cbc.caPotential crackdown looms for Afghans waiting to come to Canada
2:01
Times NowTaliban's Mullah Yaqoob Rejects Meet With Pakistan's Deputy FM Hina Rabbani Khar, Expresses Fury
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"While there have been concerns that some Afghan refugees in Pakistan may be returned to Afghanistan or jailed after the Dec. 31 expiration of this waiver, the government of Pakistan has indicated that the only enforcement action that could be taken against foreigners overstaying their visas will be the re-imposition of fines and potentially being blacklisted from returning to Pakistan," she said.
"Canada appreciates the ongoing efforts by the government of Pakistan to facilitate the safe passage of Canada-bound Afghan refugees," Dubois added.
"We continue to advocate for streamlined procedures and strengthened protections for vulnerable Afghans and appreciate Pakistan's support in helping secure routes of safe passage."
But that is cold comfort to NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, who says she has been warning the government about the impending deadline since the Pakistan government first announced its plan in October.
Kwan pointed to numerous reports in recent weeks of Pakistan authorities checking foreigners' visas and making arrests as proof of the threat.
"The situation on the ground for people who are trying to escape persecution from the Taliban is that this is not reassuring at all," she said. "The reality is that they are living in fear every day."
Kwan said she has personally received text messages about Pakistani police having raided a hotel where Afghan refugees were staying.
"And the only way I'm told that people cannot get arrested in that process is to pay heavy bribes," she said.
"The reality is that people have been hiding, and they have not been working. They don't really have the resources to be able to afford to pay these hefty bribes. That is what's happening on the ground for people."
The federal government has been repeatedly criticized for the pace of its work to bring Afghan refugees to Canada, facing anger and frustration over delays and what many see as a lack of urgency.
Kwan echoed Cukier's call for the government to put whatever pressure possible on Pakistan not to act on its Dec. 31 deadline, and for Ottawa to speed up resettlement efforts.
"There are people who served Canada, they are the loved ones of people who put their lives at risk in serving Canada, and now the Taliban is hunting them down aggressively," she said.
"So, the government needs to make good on their promise that they would bring these Afghans to safety."
Story by Raffy Boudjikanian •
In an apparent reversal from an announcement this fall, Pakistan's government has told Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada it will not deport paperless Afghan migrants or throw them in jail after the end of this month, but rather impose fines or perhaps a ban on their return to Pakistan.
"The Government of Pakistan has indicated that the only enforcement action that could be taken against foreigners overstaying their visas will be the re-imposition of fines and potentially being blacklisted from returning to Pakistan," the Immigration Department said in a statement to CBC.
As a country neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan has been a go-to destination for Afghan migrants hoping to qualify for Canada's resettlement program. Twenty-one charter flights carrying Afghans from Islamabad have come to Canada this year, according to IRCC.
In October, Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior had started running ads on television and social media telling migrants to the country whose visas had expired that they would risk deportation or jail time after Dec. 31, 2022.
Those ads did not explicitly target any ethnicity but ran in Urdu, Pakistan's national language, as well as Pashto and Dari, two languages that are commonly spoken by Afghans.
In November, Pakistan's High Commission in Ottawa told CBC News that Afghans with valid visas/documents for onward travel would be "facilitated by the government of Pakistan."
This latest change comes as the country's relationship with Afghanistan has deteriorated. Pakistan continued to hold diplomatic ties with the Taliban after it took over Kabul in September 2021.
But since last month, the two countries have been involved in border clashes. As well, inmates belonging to a Pakistan off-shoot of the Taliban took over a Pakistani jail and there was a gunfire attack on Pakistan's embassy in Kabul.
Pakistan caught in 'murky politics:' expert
With no sense of how much worse the conflict could get, one observer of the region said migrants could well remain in limbo.
"The murky politics of the region are now coming home to roost for Pakistan," said Elliot Tepper, a professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa.
He said Islamabad supported the Taliban for years until the latter's return to power in 2021, hoping to foster a regional ally.
"They thought they were buying that strategic depth, the friend in Kabul that they required," he said. "Now that the Taliban are back in power, they are looking after their own traditional interests, and those interests conflict with Pakistan's."
Tepper said this has left Afghan migrants who were former Canadian military personnel in the lurch.
Related video: Afghan-Canadian documents dismantling of women's rights under Taliban (cbc.ca) Duration 3:45 View on Watch
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"The people who have helped us materially ... those that we owe, that we have an obligation to, and people in Canada are working to assist, they are paying the cost of this politics between the powers of Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Migrants concerned
Between the government ad, the uncertainty over the conflict between the two countries and the long wait for Immigration Canada to process their applications to fly to Canada, some migrants were still worried.
"We are waiting and waiting for the email [for] when will we be able to get our flights," said one former Canadian military interpreter living in Islamabad with his wife and 10 children.
CBC News has agreed not to name him, as his brothers, who also served with the Canadian military, are still living in Kandahar City.
All of them are targets of the Taliban.
A screenshot from the official government of Pakistan ad warning of jail time or deportation for paperless migrants after New Year's Eve this year, which has Canada-bound Afghan migrants concerned.© Government of Pakistan
He and his immediate family moved to Islamabad in May, arriving legally on visas that cost him $6,000 US in savings.
But he has been unable to renew the paperwork after it expired, and other expenses piled up with no income, as he does not have the right to work in Pakistan.
"The money which I had, I just spent the whole money on [the family]," he said, enumerating "shoes, clothes, medicine or buying fruits or buying something for the kids."
The interpreter has completed his application to Canada and is now waiting to see whether he will be accepted or rejected.
Returning to Afghanistan 'is suicide'
Mohammad Younas Nasimi has been waiting longer, having arrived in Islamabad with his family last year.
The former Canadian military contractor said he cannot keep up that wait, as he eyed the Dec. 31 deadline.
Rather than risk jail for him and his family in Pakistan, or all of them being handed over to the Taliban, he said he will sneak back across the border alone.
"I know that going back ... is suicide," he said. But he believes he faces better chances eking out a living for his wife and six children in Afghanistan.
Nasimi has been corresponding with the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi over his immigration file for months, always receiving replies telling him his case was still being processed.
He showed CBC News an embassy answer to one of his last emails, where he had let them know he was thinking of going back to Afghanistan, and asking for advice.
"We are sorry to hear about the very challenging circumstances," the embassy had written back.
"We encourage you to take whatever lawful steps you deem necessary outside of this application, to provide for the safety and security of yourselves and your family."
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