Canadian Humanitarian program for Afghan nationals in need of resettlement

The Canadian government has committed to doubling to 40,000 the numbers of Afghans that it plans to welcome. As part of this, the Government of Canada announced a special humanitarian program to resettle vulnerable Afghan nationals – the “Humanitarian program for Afghan nationals in need of resettlement.” Those that qualify must be part of a women leaders group,  human rights advocates, a persecuted religious or ethnic minority, the LGBTI community, the journalist community, or must have assisted Canadian journalists.

Until a few days ago, this program was available to both those inside and outside Afghanistan. For those outside the country, registration with, and a referral from the United Nations Refugee Agency  (UNHCR) was required and continues to be a requirement. For those inside Afghanistan, Canada was working with referral partners, including the U.S., NATO, and Front Line Defenders, to identify people inside the country that quailed for assistance.

However, just a few days ago, the government changed the criteria on its Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website regarding the Humanitarian program for Afghan nationals, such that only those who have already managed to escape to other countries qualify to be referred under the program. This suggests that Canada will only accept referrals from the UNHCR, Front Line Defenders (human rights defenders), and ProtectDefenders.eu (human rights defenders) for individuals currently residing outside Afghanistan.

Naturally, this begs the question - how can those that remain and face heightened risk in  Afghanistan apply to resettle in Canada? The answer is not simple, nor is it clear. Currently, Canada is not accepting applications for the humanitarian visa program directly from individuals on the ground in Afghanistan, nor is it selecting refugees directly. However, despite the change on the IRCC website, a spokesperson for Canada Immigration stated that Canada “would continue to do its utmost to help vulnerable Afghans inside and outside the country.”

For those stuck in Afghanistan, there is still no clear direction on how to apply under the Humanitarian program. A possible avenue may be sponsorships from family members or relatives in Canada, with a humanitarian component. However, the success of these applications is not guaranteed, as the outcome is determined by a subjective decision-maker who is afforded deference in the decision-making process. Our office handles a wide variety of these applications and can assist with inquiries. If you are in this situation, we welcome questions regarding such applications