Senior immigration brass are monitoring the thousands of Hungarian Romas filing for refugee status in Canada and taking steps to shut down the flow of claimants.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s office said a new Balanced Refugee Reform Act to take affect in June will hopefully put an end to some of the bogus
claims.
“We are taking action to stop this abuse,” Kenney aide, Candice Malcolm, said on Thursday. “We are concerned about the rising number of unfounded refugee claims from people who take advantage of our generosity.”
The officials are reacting to reports by Sun Media that up to 50 Hungarian Romas are arriving nightly and filing claims at Pearson airport. About 110 Romas arrived one night last week prompting concerns by front-line officers that the many ailing seniors and children can cause a strain to our health care system.
Hungary has been a top-three refugee producing country since 2009 when 2,400 people filed claims. Some 2,300 applied for refugee status in 2010 and 2,500 so far this year. About 23% are accepted as refugees and up to 1,600 cases have been withdrawn.
Malcolm said the department is not slapping visa restrictions on Hungary.
“We are always reviewing visa policies,” Malcolm said. “We do not have immediate plans to impose any new visas.”
She said the new bill will grant immigration workers the power to screen claims for hearings and cases will be decided in about two to three months, rather than years.
“Too much of our time is taken up processing applications from people who are not really in need of protection,” Malcolm said by e-mail.
Toronto Distrct School Board Trustee Irene Atkinson said about 300 Roma children attend schools in the Parkdale area, which has the largest concentrate of Romas in the city.
“We need resources to help the parents and teachers to deal with the children,” Atkinson said. “It is a challenge because most teachers don’t speak Roma or Hungarian.”
She said many Roma students often arrive in Canada illiterate and are deported before they can finish school.
Gina Csanyi-Robah, executive director of Roma Community Centre, said there are a number of Toronto conmen preying on the new-arrivals.
The Romas are allegedly being ripped off for their meagre savings by people who claim they are taxi drivers at the airport, or immigration consultants and lawyers, Csanyi-Robah said.
She alleged agents working for some lawyers are sent to Toronto shelters to find Romas as clients because they’re eligible for Ontario Legal Aid.
“There are people waiting outside the airport and shelters who take advantage of them,” Csanyi-Roban said. “Three families were left outside a shelter in the middle of the night and the driver took off.”
She alleged lawyers are taking Legal Aid certificates from Romas and performing little work in return.
“There are a number of parasites in the community who are taking advantage of these people,” Csanyi-Roban said. “When they (Romas) arrive here they don’t speak English and don’t know what to expect.”
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s office said a new Balanced Refugee Reform Act to take affect in June will hopefully put an end to some of the bogus
claims.
“We are taking action to stop this abuse,” Kenney aide, Candice Malcolm, said on Thursday. “We are concerned about the rising number of unfounded refugee claims from people who take advantage of our generosity.”
The officials are reacting to reports by Sun Media that up to 50 Hungarian Romas are arriving nightly and filing claims at Pearson airport. About 110 Romas arrived one night last week prompting concerns by front-line officers that the many ailing seniors and children can cause a strain to our health care system.
Hungary has been a top-three refugee producing country since 2009 when 2,400 people filed claims. Some 2,300 applied for refugee status in 2010 and 2,500 so far this year. About 23% are accepted as refugees and up to 1,600 cases have been withdrawn.
Malcolm said the department is not slapping visa restrictions on Hungary.
“We are always reviewing visa policies,” Malcolm said. “We do not have immediate plans to impose any new visas.”
She said the new bill will grant immigration workers the power to screen claims for hearings and cases will be decided in about two to three months, rather than years.
“Too much of our time is taken up processing applications from people who are not really in need of protection,” Malcolm said by e-mail.
Toronto Distrct School Board Trustee Irene Atkinson said about 300 Roma children attend schools in the Parkdale area, which has the largest concentrate of Romas in the city.
“We need resources to help the parents and teachers to deal with the children,” Atkinson said. “It is a challenge because most teachers don’t speak Roma or Hungarian.”
She said many Roma students often arrive in Canada illiterate and are deported before they can finish school.
Gina Csanyi-Robah, executive director of Roma Community Centre, said there are a number of Toronto conmen preying on the new-arrivals.
The Romas are allegedly being ripped off for their meagre savings by people who claim they are taxi drivers at the airport, or immigration consultants and lawyers, Csanyi-Robah said.
She alleged agents working for some lawyers are sent to Toronto shelters to find Romas as clients because they’re eligible for Ontario Legal Aid.
“There are people waiting outside the airport and shelters who take advantage of them,” Csanyi-Roban said. “Three families were left outside a shelter in the middle of the night and the driver took off.”
She alleged lawyers are taking Legal Aid certificates from Romas and performing little work in return.
“There are a number of parasites in the community who are taking advantage of these people,” Csanyi-Roban said. “When they (Romas) arrive here they don’t speak English and don’t know what to expect.”
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