Canadians helping Afghan refugees frustrated by private sponsorship programs
Global News
Refugees can come to Canada by the government or through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which allows citizens, permanent residents and organizations to be sponsors.
Zahir Alizai is frustrated.
His family fled Afghanistan for neighbouring Pakistan earlier this year and he’s been trying for months to bring them to Canada as refugees but his attempts have been unsuccessful.
He’s one of many Canadians trying to privately sponsor loved ones who left Afghanistan for neighbouring countries following the Taliban‘s takeover of Kabul. But strict rules for individual sponsors and limits on how many refugees organizations can bring over have left Alizai and others feeling discouraged.
“I’ve been trying to be a law-abiding citizen in this country and I’ve been working, I’ve been paying tax…But unfortunately when there is a need, no one is there to help me, no one is there to help my family members,” the 40-year-old Toronto resident said in a recent interview.
“I’m really frustrated, really disappointed.”
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 September.
Refugees can be brought to Canada by the government or through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which allows citizens, permanent residents and certain organizations to sponsor newcomers provided they can support the refugees with the funds needed to start a life here.
But private citizens cannot sponsor those who do not have United Nations refugee status in the countries they are coming from, and organizations that sponsor refugees – called sponsorship agreement holders – have caps on how many newcomers they can bring over.
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