Changes to refugee system: Immigration Minister Jason Kenney lays out criteria for ‘safe’ countries

[CHIMO]

Asylum seekers from 23 countries would be presumed “unfounded refugees” and stripped of their appeal rights under changes to the refugee system that take effect in December.

Based on 2012 asylum data, these countries — including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Mexico — meet the criteria set out by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on Friday to designate them as safe and capable of protecting their own nationals.

Under the new system, refugees from Kenney’s designated countries — to be revealed Dec. 15, when the changes take effect — will have their claims fast-tracked and heard within 30 to 45 days without access to the newly-established appeal mechanism and be booted out of Canada in a year.

They are also banned from working in Canada unless their claim has been in the system for more than 180 days and no decision has been made, and are ineligible for health care coverage, not even for medical emergencies.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1296161--changes-to-refugee-system-immigration-minister-jason-kenney-lays-out-criteria-for-safe-countries

[Posteritatis]

1. Morocco's "safe and capable of protecting their own nationals now?" Really? (nt)

[unreadierLizard]

2. I know, right?

Maybe next, Harpo will declare North Korea a safe state.

[Posteritatis]

4. Nah; North Korea's on the US baddie list while Morocco's invisible.

This way Harper gets to close the border to Moroccan and Western Saharan people for all practical purposes while still being able to growl at Pyongyang, since the Republicans dislike the latter.

[riverbendviewgal]

3. my hero was pierre trudeau

He and his liberals were far better than Harper and his PCs.. the NDP are now the immigrants party.

[harpslay]

5. The Wrong Direction

From a realpolitik perspective, qualifying a country like Mexico as "safe" is probably good for Canada from an IR perspective but not necessarily good economic/immigration policy.

The fact is that skilled immigrants are harder to attract than ever (as developing world growth outpaces that in the West) and Canadian immigration policy has to respond to that reality. Seems like, if you have a chance to accept a lawyer from a drugwar-torn region of Mexico as a refugee - you should probably do it.

Anyone disagree with that?