November 2004
(Provided free of charge by Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc.)
Convention Refugee The United Nations definition of a refugee is as follows: A refugee is a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country. |
This guide is for you if you are a refugee who meets all the following conditions.
- You fled your home country, due to fear for your life and liberty caused by war or persecution;
- You are outside Canada, and you want to resettle in Canada;
- You are preparing for the Canadian overseas refugee determination process.
(If you are in a refugee-like situation in your own country, or in a country of asylum, ask us for more information.)
If you are a refugee and you want to come to Canada, you must:
- complete the "Application for permanent residence in Canada";
- be interviewed by a Canadian visa officer (except, if in rare cases, you are accepted without an interview);
- have a medical exam, security screening and possibly a police check done, and
- be sponsored by either the Canadian Government or by a group in Canada.
Refugees, who want to resettle in Canada, must be both eligible and admissible. Refugees are eligible when they convince a Canadian visa officer that they are truly refugees, as defined by the United Nations and as interpreted by Canada.
Refugees are admissible when they show they can become self supporting within a reasonable time after arriving in Canada, and when they pass medical, criminality and security screening.
Getting Started
Write to the Protection Officer at UNHCR ( United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ). Tell them you are a refugee and need a place to resettle. (If you, as a woman, are vulnerable and in urgent or serious need of protection, tell them how your situation is unsafe for you.) If they interview you, ask them to refer you to the Canadian visa post. Canada may, or may not, accept you. If UNHCR has not referred you to Canada, ask relatives in Canada to find a group to sponsor you.
Completing the "Application for permanent residence in Canada" forms
These forms will be sent to you. Accurately and fully complete and sign the forms. Ask someone you trust to help you. Declare all immediate family members (even if they are not currently living with you, or missing) such as your spouse, children, adoptees, and parents living with you. Provide a detailed, accurate, complete, reliable mailing address. If you are in East Africa, also provide a full residential/street address. Promptly mail the completed forms back to whoever sent them to you.
If you are in Southern or East Africa, attach the following documents: Copies of identification documents from your country of nationality for each person on the application. Proof that you have been recognized as refugee by UNHCR. Copy of birth certificate and/or adoption certificate for each person on the application. Copy of marriage and/or divorce certificate (if applicable). Copy of death certificate for any deceased spouse or child (if applicable). Proof that you have been registered as an asylum seeker with the government of your country of refuge.
Police Certificate from the authorities of your country of refuge. For documents you cannot provide, explain in writing why not. If you are in Cairo, attach a copy of pages 1-4 of your passport.
Providing Evidence
If possible, provide written evidence which supports your refugee claim; confirms the incidents that forced you to flee; proves what happened to you, and shows how you were targeted. If you can, attach documents such as relevant newspaper articles, summonses, medical evidence of physical ill-treatment and so on. (Provide certified translations as required.) Ask Amnesty International and other reliable sources for printed information about the persecution, human rights violations and/or war in your country at the time you fled, and now. Country information is available at www.unhcr.org.Preparing for the Interview
The Canadian visa post will inform you, probably by mail, as to the date, time, and location of your interview. If you need an interpreter (which the Canadian visa post usually prefers to provide) satisfy yourself that the service is adequate, or ask to provide your own interpreter.
Make it clear to the Canadian visa officer:
- how you were forced to leave your country
- because of persecution; or
- because you were seriously affected by civil war or armed conflict; or
- because you suffered massive human rights violations, and
- why you cannot safely return to your home country, and
- why you cannot stay in the country where you are now.
If you are a woman in a dangerous situation without family protection or the protection of local authorities, describe how your current place of asylum is unsafe for you and for your children.
To make the Canadian visa officer aware that you can become self supporting in Canada, it may help to:
- say how eager you are to become established after arriving in Canada,
- describe your education, the languages you speak and your work skills,
- describe your previous and current efforts to improve your English and/or French,
- say what you have learned and what work you have done since becoming a refugee,
- show how, as a refugee, you have been resourceful, motivated and adaptable,
- mention how your relatives in Canada found employment or financial success, and
- describe the support you expect to get from relatives, friends and community in Canada.
Be sure to use this guide to prepare carefully and thoroughly. When you make your refugee claim, remember to focus on the primary factors: your history of persecution and your fear of returning. It is secondary to show how you can become self supporting, once you get to Canada. If you are accepted, you can expect the visa officer to offer you a loan for the cost of your travel to Canada and of your medicals.
Please note:
Do you have close relatives or friends living in Manitoba, Canada? If you do, you may want to complete and return our Refugee Information Profile (you'll need "Acrobat Reader" to open and print that form), and ask the people in Manitoba, who you know, to contact us directly. We may be able to give them a few suggestions about how they can look for a group in Manitoba to sponsor you. Our guide and this form are provided free of charge.
If your closest relatives or friends in Canada live in provinces outside of Manitoba, you may want to ask them to look for a group in their area to sponsor you. For information and possible assistance, they may want to contact the Citizenship and Immigration office nearest them, local refugee serving agencies and local faith groups.
The interview is an important part of your refugee claim. You will have a brief time to tell your complete personal story of persecution, including specific events that affected you personally.
You must convince the visa officer that you are a refugee. Be ready to answer questions about why you fled your homeland, why you cannot return and why you can not settle where you are now.
Bring a copy of your written account to the interview, so you can refer to it, if necessary.
Point out key incidents of persecution you experienced.Say only
Give the visa officer any significant, new evidence you have gathered since you completed your forms.
What you write and say must be accurate and true, and can be checked.
False information can cause the visa officer to question your credibility, and deny your claim.
what is directly related to your claim as a refugee. Anything else you say will not help, and may weaken your case. For example, if you say you suffered economic hardship and want a better life; or you want to join your family in Canada; or you want to take post-secondary education when you get to Canada, your refugee claim may be questioned or rejected.Prepare your personal account of persecution by writing your refugee story. Explain why you:
- fled your homeland;
- cannot return; and
- cannot stay where you are now.
Make your personal account complete and convincing. Use all the points listed in this guide. Keep your story of persecution short and to the point. Give personal details such as important dates, names and places. Write your story in the order it happened.
Ask a reputable local organization, or a relative in Canada, to assist you.