The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
CBC – Nigerian Family Facing Exit from Canada Over Baby Granted Reprieve
A Nigerian family on the cusp of being forced out of the country because of their newborn has been granted a reprieve. Dimeji and Deborah Tawose and their three children will all now receive temporary resident permits. The couple, both medical radiographers, came to Calgary on July 12 under the federal skilled worker program. But they were told to leave because their third child was born in the U.S. while their visas were being processed. Confusion over the status of their youngest child, who’s still nursing, had the family fearing they’d need to leave the country, or the baby would be separated from his family for weeks. Officials say the reprieve will allow the family to stay in Calgary for a year while they sort out their paperwork.[…] The parents say they tried numerous times to notify Canadian officials about their situation, but a visa was never issued for their newborn. “Knowing fully well that we are people that do not go contrary to the law, we’ve done everything humanly possible to get things right and get things done properly,” said Deborah Tawose. At Wednesday’s hearing, the Canadian border agents acknowledged those efforts. In response, Citizenship and Immigration Canada also agreed to issue two open work permits for the couple.
Al Jazeera English – Canada Tightens Citizenship Laws to Fight “Terrorism”
In an attempt to combat the “ever-evolving threat of jihadi terrorism”, in the words of Canada’s immigration minister, the Canadian government has enacted new laws allowing it to strip dual nationals of their citizenship without resorting to a federal court hearing. Before the law went into effect in late May, the government could only strip citizenship from individuals accused of obtaining it fraudulently – a three-year process that involved the federal court of Canada. […] The recent revocation provisions are part of the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, which Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government introduced last year as Bill C-24. The Act represents the most comprehensive reforms to Canada’s citizenship laws since 1977, giving the government power to strip dual nationals of Canadian citizenship if convicted of terrorism, treason or spying. But, there are at least 944,700 Canadians with multiple citizenships – not including single-citizenship Canadians who are eligible for other nationalities, who may also be affected by the law. […] The new citizenship reforms also require citizenship applicants to declare their intent to reside in Canada after they are granted citizenship.
Radio-Canada – Une famille nigériane menacée d’expulsion à cause d’un bébé sans visa
Une famille nigériane arrivée à Calgary pourrait être expulsée dès jeudi en raison de la confusion au sujet de son bébé de huit mois qui est né aux États-Unis et qui n’a pas obtenu un visa. Dimeji et Deborah Tawose sont arrivés au pays avec trois enfants, il y a deux semaines, en vertu du programme fédéral des travailleurs qualifiés. Les deux professionnels de la santé ont obtenu leurs visas pendant qu’ils travaillaient à Abu Dhabi, dans l’État des Émirats arabes unis. La bonne nouvelle est tombée après deux ans d’attente. Entre-temps, le couple a eu un troisième enfant alors qu’il était en vacances aux États-Unis. Des efforts sans résultats « Nous nous sommes retrouvés avec un troisième enfant qui n’était pas sur notre demande originale de visa. Immigration Canada ne tient pas compte du fait qu’il soit un citoyen américain », explique Dimeji Tawose.
CTV News – Halifax Pride Shines Spotlight on LGBTQ Asylum Seekers
The Halifax Pride Festival is, perhaps, best known for its celebratory parade. However, despite the festive feel to the event, the LGBTQ community still faces many hurdles in gaining acceptance. Halifax Pride Festival put the spotlight on LGBTQ asylum seekers with a film screening at Pier 21 Tuesday evening. In the film ‘Last Chance’, Paul Emile d’Entremont profiles five LGBTQ people who are fleeing their home countries and seeking asylum in Canada. “I wanted to go where homophobia was the worst,” says d’Entremont. “There are, you know, thousands and thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians who are suffering.” The film was shown at Pier 21 as part of Halifax Pride. Marie Chapman is the CEO of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 and says the location is fitting. […] Canada has long been known as a safe haven for LGBTQ people from around the world. Today, there are 82 countries where being gay is a criminal offence, and in 8 of those nations it is punishable by death.
Hungary Builds Fence as 300,000 Migrants Expected in 2015
The Hungarian government says it expects up to 300,000 migrants to reach the country this year, around twice its earlier estimate. Nearly 90,000 migrants have come to Hungary so far in 2015. Most continue on to other parts of the European Union. Janos Lazar, head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said Tuesday “Hungary has become one of the countries most exposed to illegal migration.” He said the fence the country is creating on the southern border with Serbia to stem the flow of migrants “needs to be built in the shortest term possible.” Lazar said most of Hungary’s 175-kilometre (109-mile) border with Serbia would be protected by a chain-link fence dug 1.5 metres (5 feet) into the ground and rising 3 metres (10 feet) above ground, topped with razor wire.
Toronto Star – Foreign Caregivers Face Lengthy Wait for Permanent Status
It’s taking twice as long for foreign caregivers to get permanent resident status in Canada as it did a year ago despite Ottawa’s promise to expedite the process. According to an immigration department internal memo titled “advice to minister,” the processing time for caregivers’ permanent residency reached a record 50 months in January, up from 26 months a year ago. That’s on top of having to work two years alone in Canada — separated from family — in order to meet the residency requirement. Immigration officials are still wrestling with a huge backlog. As of February, more than 17,600 caregivers who had met the work requirement — down from a peak of 24,600 last year — were still waiting in the queue to be reunited with their spouses and children living abroad. Delays in granting permanent status and reuniting families often lead to family breakups and cause other adjustment problems for caregivers’ children, including high school dropout rates, said immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, who obtained the government memo. “Caregivers waiting for PR (permanent residency) are unfortunately subject to longer processing,” said Kurland. “In the long term, it’s going to have expensive consequences.”
