Refuge Claimants from OECS Member States
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Refuge Claimants from OECS Member States |
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Statistics from the Visitor Review Enforcement branch of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for the first quarter of 2004 reveal that the number of refugee claims being made by OECS nationals in Canada is increasing at an unacceptably high rate. Since 2000 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has recorded the highest number of claims at 1121 followed by Grenada at 700 and St. Lucia at 630. Refugee claimants from Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis are less alarming. By March 31, 2004 the following number of claims were recorded: St. Vincent & the Grenadines 96, Grenada 57, St. Lucia 40, Dominica 12, Antigua & Barbuda 4, St. Kitts & Nevis 1.
CIC officials have established that OECS nationals tend to arrive in Canada during the summer months later claiming refugee status after having stayed as a visitor for some time. In the case of Grenada, the high number of claims is particularly disturbing given the imposition of a visa requirement in December 2001. In light of this, CIC officials have suggested that Grenadians may be using visa-free passports to enter Canada initially, thereafter making claims using their Grenadian passports. To arrest the situation, the High Commission has been requested by CIC to ensure that Immigration Authorities in the islands monitor this new trend.
A distinctive feature in the movement of refugee claimants from the OECS is that it comprises young single women, aged 18-35 years (65-85 % of the total). Another new development, which is equally disturbing, is the increasing amount of children, less than 12 years old, who are claiming as “principals”, especially from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia. This suggests that they travel to Canada to establish a “beach head”, after which the rest of their families will attempt to migrate to Canada.
Given this trend, which constitutes a form of improper migration, the Visitor Review Board is increasingly rejecting refugee claims from OECS nationals: for the First Quarter of 2004 (2004 Q1), 68% of claims from Vincentians were rejected, 6.57% withdrawn and 4.5% abandoned; for St. Lucians, 80% were rejected, 6.36% abandoned, 2.73% withdrawn; and for Grenadians, 79.13% were rejected, 6.09% abandoned and 4.35% withdrawn.
Unsuccessful claimants have 30 days to depart the country voluntarily, at the end of which a removal order is issued against them. For 2004 Q1 only 30% of failed Vincentian claimants were removed, 33% of St. Lucians and 30% of Grenadians, We are, therefore, very concerned that OECS national who disappear underground before removal orders are carried out remain illegally in Canada and consequently become vulnerable to economic hardship, social exclusion and exploitation.
As summer approaches, we are appealing to OECS nationals to desist from adopting improper migration avenues. We are also appealing to our nationals to seek advice on the proper procedures from their Ministries of Foreign Affairs and/or the Canadian High Commission accredited to their respective country.
We take this opportunity to remind our nationals again that Canada, in fact, embraces migration, within the framework of its immigration policy and regulations. Nationals are, therefore, strongly urged to seek proper advice from their Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian High Commission before attempting to migrate.
Further, in keeping with its humanitarian traditions and international commitments, Canada accepts between 20,000 and 30,000 Convention refugees and other displaced persons annually. The increasing volume of claims from OECS nationals has the potential to disrupt the processing of genuine refugee claims. Moreover, the practice is expensive for Canadian authorities, and indeed it will cost Canada much less to assign immigration/consular officers to Member States than to support OECS refugee claimants in Canada.
Should this trend persist, Canadian authorities are likely to impose visa requirements on those OECS countries which currently enjoy visa-free regimes, thus hurting the chances of migration to Canada for other OECS nationals. While CIC has not indicated it will do so in the short term, Canada is preparing for federal elections on June 28, 2004, with the possibility of a new Conservative-led government. It should also be borne in mind that Canada is under tremendous pressure from the United States, for security concerns, to make its borders more impervious to migration.
Eastern Caribbean States High Commission Ottawa, Canada June 16, 2004.
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