Do you want to do something important on World Refugee Day (or after!)?

The Canadian Council for Refugees is a remarkable organization that works on a shoe-string but produces some of the most important work on refugee law and policy in Canada.

I fully endorse their concerns about what is called "the Nairobi problem".  (Note: it is a Canadian problem).  If you want to do something that could help make a difference, please read on. 

Refugees in Africa seeking family reunification or resettlement in Canada wait years for their applications to be processed by Canadian immigration officials. Canada’s processing of refugees is particularly slow in Nairobi. These delays mean that refugees are denied protection, and children wait in vulnerable situations to be reunited with their parents in Canada. The longer the wait, the greater the risk to the security, the health and the lives of refugees.

The CCR has prepared a Statement on Responding to African refugees that is open for sign on by other organizations. The statement is available at: http://ccrweb.ca/en/statement-responding-african-refugees and below. Organizations are encouraged to sign on and promote the statement.

If your organization would like to sign on to this statement, please send an email to nairobi@ccrweb.ca.

Statement on responding to African refugees
Sadly Canada’s processing of refugees is too slow in many parts of the world, but it is slowest of all in Africa.

Processing is particularly slow in the countries of East and Central Africa covered by Canada’s visa office in Nairobi.

The long delays at Nairobi leave vulnerable refugees in dangerous situations for longer than anywhere else in the world.

We call on the Canadian government to do more to respond to African refugees, who are currently being neglected by Canada’s immigration program.

We call on the Canadian government to ensure fair treatment for African refugees and their families by:

1. Resettling more refugees, both privately sponsored and government assisted, and significantly speeding up their processing at the Nairobi visa office.

2. Significantly speeding up refugee family reunification at the Nairobi visa office.

Take Action!
For background information to encourage organizations to sign the statement, see:

• Statement with backgrounder
• http://ccrweb.ca/en/nairobi
• Report, Nairobi: Protection delayed, protection denied (available on above webpage)
• Pamphlet, Refugees from Africa: Are we being fair? (available on above webpage)

Organizations wishing to sign the statement should send an email to nairobi@ccrweb.ca and are encouraged to follow up by:

• Writing letters to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and to local MPs
• Publicizing the statement (for example, posting it on their website, publishing it in their newsletter, making a press release)

If they prefer, organizations can make their own statement on similar lines (and follow up as above).
All organizations are encouraged to do anything else they can to draw broad public attention to the unjust delays at visa offices abroad, particularly Nairobi.

Thank you for considering taking action in support of refugees in the world.