Canada is launching a new humanitarian immigration pathway for Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans already in Central or South America or the Caribbean who have extended family connections in Canada.

“Starting this fall, Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan foreign nationals located in Central or South America or the Caribbean who have extended family connections in Canada will be eligible to apply for this new pathway,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

“To qualify, the principal applicant must be a child (regardless of age), grandchild, spouse, common-law partners, parent, grandparent or sibling of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

“Successful applicants will be offered enhanced pre-arrival services, including an employment skills assessment and a referral to a settlement provider organization in their intended community.”

The new pathway is to provide permanent residence in Canada for up to 11,000 Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans starting this autumn.

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The move comes in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement in late March that Canada would welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere over the course of the year, with a path to economic opportunities to address forced displacement, as an alternative to irregular migration.

The new pathway for Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans is part of that commitment.

“We are actively collaborating with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to understand the regional context and humanitarian needs linked to migration in the Americas,” said Miller.

“We also support the work of the safe mobility offices in the region, whose objective is to consider individuals for humanitarian and other regular pathways.

The latest Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data reveals Canada already welcomes nearly that many Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans annually.

Last year, Canada welcomed 3,775 Columbians, 4,400 Haitians, and 1,545 Venezuelans as new permanent residents, a total of 9,720 people.

In the first seven months of this year, Canada welcomed an additional 5,030 new permanent residents from those three countries. Based on that trend, the country could have been expected to welcome 8,623 Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans as new permanent residents this year, or 21.6 per cent fewer than the target under the new humanitarian pathway.

Canada Welcoming More Temporary Foreign Workers From The Americas This Year

Canada has also upped the number of temporary foreign workers it is allowing into the country from the Americas this year.

“We are welcoming an additional 4,000 temporary foreign workers from the region this year, many of whom have already arrived in Canada,” said Miller.

“Based on current trends, we are on track to meet this target. In addition, we are connecting with non-governmental organizations in the region to leverage the new Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, which helps skilled refugees and other displaced people immigrate to Canada.”

Ottawa is bullish on migrant protection and supports the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.

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“We are increasing our assistance for capacity-building efforts in the region by investing $75 million over six years for projects across Latin America and Central America,” said Miller.

“These projects focus on strengthening asylum capacity and better integrating migrants and refugees into local communities and labour markets. This support will help countries, including those that refugees and migrants are coming from, travelling through, or are being hosted in, address the challenges of irregular migration, while also improving the quality of life for migrants and refugees.

“Global displacement of people in search of safety is at an all-time high. The Americas are seeing unprecedented numbers of migrants seeking safe haven and new opportunities, in often dangerous situations such as crossing the Darien Gap. Working closely with the US, we expect to see these measures help curb irregular migration and promote safe migration as an alternative to the often dangerous irregular routes in the Americas.”