Canada Will Accept 500 More Bhutanese Refugees

Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney has announced on the World Refugee Day that Canada plans to accept up to 500 more Bhutanese Asylum seekers.

The Minister Kenney said, “In May 2007, the government committed to resettling up to 5,000 Bhutanese refugees who had been living for nearly two decades in refugee camps. I’m pleased to announce that Canada will welcome up to 500 more Bhutanese refugees who have family connections in Canada.”

“We are proud of the role Canada has played in the international effort to resolve this situation,” said Minister Kenney.

“Canada has long been a place of refuge for people around the world and continues to have one of the most generous immigration and refugee systems in the world. We welcome one out of every 10 of all resettled refugees globally, more than any other industrialized country in the world,” Mr. Kenney added.

Bhutanese refugees of ethnic Nepalese descent have been living in (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) UNHCR run seven camps in eastern Nepal since the early 1990s. Seven countries including Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United States of America had agreed to resettle some of the Bhutanese refugees over the period of three to four years.

Government of Canada agreed to accept up to 5000 Bhutanese refugees over three to five years period starting from May 2007.

As of October 2011, Canada had selected all 5,000 refugees − nearly 4,500 of whom have already arrived in Canada. The remainder, plus the additional 500, are expected to arrive throughout 2012. In the mean time over 42,000 Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in United States  of America since 2007.

Canada’s commitment to help those in need of protection extends to refugees from many nations. For example, Canada resettled more than 3,900 ethnic Karen refugees from Burma who had been living for years in camps in Thailand.

Canadian Government has introduced Bill C-31 Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act to strengthen Canadian refugee system in order to allow genuine claimants needing refugee protection resettle in Canada as quickly as possible and to ensure bogus asylum seekers are removed more quickly.

The Bill C-31 is also focusing on dealing with the human trafficking problem and is expected to deter people smugglers for targeting Canada as the country will be no longer safe heaven for illegal migrants.

 

Tags: Bhutanese Refugee, Bhutanese Refugees in Canada, Bill C-31, Canada, Canada refugee system, Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act