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.
Toronto Star – This Syrian IT Worker Was Stuck in Limbo in Lebanon. Now He Works at Shopify — Thanks to a Canadian Pilot Program for Skilled Refugees
With years of experience in IT and surveillance systems, Omar Taha could easily transfer his skills and knowledge anywhere if an employer would give him a chance. But being a refugee in Lebanon, the Syrian man didn’t know where to start to find an international employer to sponsor him to another country, let alone have the money and proper documentation such as university transcripts for relocation. Then a fellow Syrian refugee told him about the recruitment drive by Talent Beyond Boundaries, a global non-profit organization that matches skilled refugees with employers around the world in need of their skills.
Toronto Star – Her Dad Has ‘Missed Almost All of Her Being Two.’ Why the U.S. Border News Is Drawing Tears of Joy — and Relief — in Canada
Canada re-opened its border to fully vaccinated Americans in August, but the U.S. has remained shut to non-essential travel at its land and ferry crossing points. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would be lifting those restrictions for vaccinated travellers starting next month. The easing of land-border restrictions cannot come soon enough for cross-border families who have been separated for the better part of two years.
CTV News – Afghan Family Crosses into Pakistan, Heading to Canada After Months of Hoping
An Afghan man living in hiding for months has been able to escape Afghanistan with his family and now awaits a flight to Canada. Reza Kateb had spent time working with the Canadian embassy to promote gender equality in Afghanistan and helped implement the Afghan elections, ultimately winning an award from Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan in 2016.
Globe and Mail – For Asylum Seekers, Hong Kong Is Easy to Reach But Hard to Stay in Thanks to Kafkaesque Policies
A major air hub, with visa-free access from more than 140 countries, Hong Kong is – despite the best efforts of its government – a magnet for people fleeing conflict, abuse and poverty. In fact, only 1 per cent of refugee claimants in Hong Kong are granted asylum – just 272 since 2009, according to government statistics. And recent changes to the law, including reducing the number of judges hearing cases and restricting which languages applicants can use, are poised to make applying for asylum even harder, advocates for refugees say, while further clogging up Hong Kong’s court system.
Global News – ‘Really Hopeless’: Canada-Bound Afghan Family Stuck in Ukraine After Fleeing Kabul
Jawed Ahmad Haqmal — a former interpreter for the Canadian Armed Forces — and his 11 relatives, including five children, were part of a large group that was evacuated by Ukrainian soldiers. Since landing in Kyiv on Aug. 28, they have been staying at a hotel paid for by the Globe and Mail, whose reporter Mark MacKinnon assisted the family’s dramatic escape hours after two deadly suicide attacks outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. The family from Kandahar now finds itself in limbo with no end in sight.
Toronto Star – Trauma and the Taliban: How Their Return to Power Has Thousands of Afghans in Canada Reliving Horrors of the Past
With the recent return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Fadozai is among thousands of Afghans now living in North America reliving the horrors of their past. Nearly six million Afghans have been displaced from their homes during four decades of war, reports the United Nations Refugee Agency. And according to refugee settlement officers in Canada, recent images of Taliban violence in the media are bringing back terrifying memories to the approximately 100,000 Canadians of Afghan heritage.
