The Immigrant Services Society of BC is debunking rumours prior to the arrival of an estimated 2,500 refugees in BC.
Director of Settlement Services Chris Friesen says most refugees start their time here in debt, as Canada is the only country in the world that imposes an interest bearing transportation loan.
“It’s part of a humanitarian program, where the costs of their documentation overseas, their medical examination, and the cost of their one-way ticket to Canada is bundled together in an interest-bearing loan that they must start to repay in their first year of settling.”
Groups that are privately sponsoring refugees have the option to raise money to cover that loan.
“Over 91% of refugees who are given the chance to come to this country and rebuild their lives, will pay that loan off. According to government records, that is the highest repayment rate of any government loan.”
For several years, chain emails and online posts originating from a letter in the Toronto Star have circulated claiming refugees receive nearly 2 thousand dollars a month- more than a Canadian pensioner.
In an attempt to combat the viral post, Dr. Silvia D’Addario and York University students compiled a graphic of their own, with numbers backed by both the Canadian Council for Refugees and Immigrant Services Society of BC.
So what kind of support are refugees getting?
According to the federal government, the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) really only covers the basics, including greeting at the airport, finding temporary housing, help with registering for mandatory federal and provincial programs,
providing contacts for safety and emergency services, introducing refugees to the city where they have settled,
and explaining transportation, education, health systems, laws, and customs.
On a monetary note, the RAP provides help with budgeting, settling up bank accounts and credit/debit cards, and basic ‘life skills.’
“28 percent of Canada’s immigration used to be refugees… 40,000 refugees came to Canada in 1980, primarily south-east Asians. In 2014, refugees accounted for 9% of our overall immigration,” adds Friesen. “This year, the government-assisted refugee target levels were 5,800-6,500… Against a background of almost 60 million refugees and internally displaced people today…There were voiced security concerns back then too.”
He also points out refugees won’t simply be waltzing into Metro Vancouver.
It will be a very different situation than the one we see in Europe, if Canada’s screening process is followed properly.
Unlike the borderless countries of Europe that allow people to cross without security reviews, Canada has a three point security system.
Phase one sees refugees selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with approximately two percent streamed into a resettlement pool.
The UNHCR  looks for those who are deemed a low security risk, like women, and children.
Refugees are then referred to visa officers for an interview to look for inconsistencies in their stories.
Finally, Canadian immigration officials, the Canada Border Services Agency, RCMP and CSIS carry out security checks.
A tall order, considering 25,000 are supposed to be settled by the new year.
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