IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!! The Gov't is Finally cracking down on refugee claims!!!
Canada places visa rules on Czechs, Mexicans
OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada on Tuesday reinstated a travel visa requirement for Czech and Mexican passport holders in a bid to crack down on an explosion in the number of fraudulent refugee claims.
The measure, which went into effect at one minute past midnight (0401 GMT), "will give us a greater ability to manage the flow of people into Canada and verify bona fides," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a statement this week.
For the first 48 hours, Czech and Mexican nationals may apply upon arrival in Canada, but a visa will be required after 11:59 pm Wednesday (0359 GMT Thursday).
Mexico is the number one source country for refugee claims in Canada, almost tripling since 2005 to 9,400 claims last year, or 25 percent of the total received. Of those, only 11 percent were accepted.
The visa requirement for the Czech Republic was lifted in October 2007. Since then, nearly 3,000 claims have been filed by Czech nationals, compared to less than five in 2006.
The Canadian government said that the dramatic increase suggested that many cases were bogus, as many claims were either abandoned or withdrawn before a final decision was made.
"In addition to creating significant delays and spiraling new costs in our refugee program, the sheer volume of these claims is undermining our ability to help people fleeing real persecution," said Kenney.
"All too often, people who really need Canada's protection find themselves in a long line, waiting for months and sometimes years to have their claims heard. This is unacceptable."
The move drew instant condemnation in Europe, where the European Union called on Canada to abandon the requirement and the Czech government announced it would impose visa duties on Canadian diplomats in retaliation.
The reactions prompted Kenney to defend Canada's decision.
"It's not a pleasant thing to do, but it's absolutely necessary to protect the integrity of our immigration system and our laws," he said Tuesday, stressing that Mexico is a democracy with no state-sponsored persecution.
"We're not talking about the kinds of people that are living in UN refugee camps by the millions who are victims of war and state-sponsored persecution," he told Canadian broadcaster CBC.
"It's an insult to the important concept of refugees, of refugee protection to allow it to be systematically violated by people who are overwhelmingly economic immigrants."
Canada's tourism industry blasted the move, warning it would send Mexican tourists -- and their dollars -- elsewhere.
"Many of us have been very active in the Mexican market for many, many years," Hume Rogers, an Ottawa hotelier, told a press conference, adding that 266,000 Mexicans visited the country in 2007, spending the equivalent of 233 million US dollars.
"And all of a sudden, basically the day the doors are about to open on the beginning of the peak season, they're sort of being slammed shut in our face," he said.
"The economic impact will be catastrophic for several Canadian companies which work with Mexican tourists and it will have a domino effect," tourism industry representatives said in a statement.
During a visit to Prague in early May, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed concerns about the flood of refugee claims, warning of possible visa requirement changes.
Most of the Czech requests come from members of the Roma minority fleeing what they say is a rise of extremism in the former communist country.
But Czech authorities insist that these claims are first and foremost borne out of economic worries.
~~~~~~~~
I can't say that I entirely agree with the Czech citizens needing visa's to come to Canada as most European's are damn hard workers, don't run drug cartel's ( Russia excluded here), and a lot of my friend's are of Czech descent. The Mexican visa's I do taotally agree with though, and the Immigration officials should also consider visa's for Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, and Jamaica. Especially JAMAICA as most of Toronto's problems in the northern part of that city is from Jamaican gang violence brought on by feuding drug lords. Canada used to be thought of as the Great White North, not so anymore. The garbage strike in Toronto is now into it's fourth week, drive by shootings plague the City, people are afraid to walk down streets in ethnic neighbourhood's, ( I used to love visiting Kensington Market when I visited TO, not so much any more).
I wonder if our neighbour's to the South will start requirement's like this, only I feel it's too late for the Mexican's requiring visa's to enter the USA, what would they use them for, flotation device's to help cross the Rio Grande?? And mind you , CANADIANS now require a passport to enter the USA, one of the longest undefended frontier's in the world. Yes I can just see it, a bunch of senior citizen's making a rush on the US border to go to WalMart in Grand Forks or Target, Grannies with guns storming the Indian Casino's of Northern Minnesota and North Dakota. Get real America, how long has Canada been friend's , neighbour's, and trading partner's?? You don't see the Mexican Federales fighting side by side with the US troops in Afghanistan. To date 124 dead Canadian soldier's, 0 Mexican soldiers in Afghanistan. Go figure......
OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada on Tuesday reinstated a travel visa requirement for Czech and Mexican passport holders in a bid to crack down on an explosion in the number of fraudulent refugee claims.
The measure, which went into effect at one minute past midnight (0401 GMT), "will give us a greater ability to manage the flow of people into Canada and verify bona fides," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a statement this week.
For the first 48 hours, Czech and Mexican nationals may apply upon arrival in Canada, but a visa will be required after 11:59 pm Wednesday (0359 GMT Thursday).
Mexico is the number one source country for refugee claims in Canada, almost tripling since 2005 to 9,400 claims last year, or 25 percent of the total received. Of those, only 11 percent were accepted.
The visa requirement for the Czech Republic was lifted in October 2007. Since then, nearly 3,000 claims have been filed by Czech nationals, compared to less than five in 2006.
The Canadian government said that the dramatic increase suggested that many cases were bogus, as many claims were either abandoned or withdrawn before a final decision was made.
"In addition to creating significant delays and spiraling new costs in our refugee program, the sheer volume of these claims is undermining our ability to help people fleeing real persecution," said Kenney.
"All too often, people who really need Canada's protection find themselves in a long line, waiting for months and sometimes years to have their claims heard. This is unacceptable."
The move drew instant condemnation in Europe, where the European Union called on Canada to abandon the requirement and the Czech government announced it would impose visa duties on Canadian diplomats in retaliation.
The reactions prompted Kenney to defend Canada's decision.
"It's not a pleasant thing to do, but it's absolutely necessary to protect the integrity of our immigration system and our laws," he said Tuesday, stressing that Mexico is a democracy with no state-sponsored persecution.
"We're not talking about the kinds of people that are living in UN refugee camps by the millions who are victims of war and state-sponsored persecution," he told Canadian broadcaster CBC.
"It's an insult to the important concept of refugees, of refugee protection to allow it to be systematically violated by people who are overwhelmingly economic immigrants."
Canada's tourism industry blasted the move, warning it would send Mexican tourists -- and their dollars -- elsewhere.
"Many of us have been very active in the Mexican market for many, many years," Hume Rogers, an Ottawa hotelier, told a press conference, adding that 266,000 Mexicans visited the country in 2007, spending the equivalent of 233 million US dollars.
"And all of a sudden, basically the day the doors are about to open on the beginning of the peak season, they're sort of being slammed shut in our face," he said.
"The economic impact will be catastrophic for several Canadian companies which work with Mexican tourists and it will have a domino effect," tourism industry representatives said in a statement.
During a visit to Prague in early May, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed concerns about the flood of refugee claims, warning of possible visa requirement changes.
Most of the Czech requests come from members of the Roma minority fleeing what they say is a rise of extremism in the former communist country.
But Czech authorities insist that these claims are first and foremost borne out of economic worries.
~~~~~~~~
I can't say that I entirely agree with the Czech citizens needing visa's to come to Canada as most European's are damn hard workers, don't run drug cartel's ( Russia excluded here), and a lot of my friend's are of Czech descent. The Mexican visa's I do taotally agree with though, and the Immigration officials should also consider visa's for Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, and Jamaica. Especially JAMAICA as most of Toronto's problems in the northern part of that city is from Jamaican gang violence brought on by feuding drug lords. Canada used to be thought of as the Great White North, not so anymore. The garbage strike in Toronto is now into it's fourth week, drive by shootings plague the City, people are afraid to walk down streets in ethnic neighbourhood's, ( I used to love visiting Kensington Market when I visited TO, not so much any more).
I wonder if our neighbour's to the South will start requirement's like this, only I feel it's too late for the Mexican's requiring visa's to enter the USA, what would they use them for, flotation device's to help cross the Rio Grande?? And mind you , CANADIANS now require a passport to enter the USA, one of the longest undefended frontier's in the world. Yes I can just see it, a bunch of senior citizen's making a rush on the US border to go to WalMart in Grand Forks or Target, Grannies with guns storming the Indian Casino's of Northern Minnesota and North Dakota. Get real America, how long has Canada been friend's , neighbour's, and trading partner's?? You don't see the Mexican Federales fighting side by side with the US troops in Afghanistan. To date 124 dead Canadian soldier's, 0 Mexican soldiers in Afghanistan. Go figure......
Comments