Alright, let’s dive into this piece like a kid into a ball pit at a children’s party—hopefully without hitting any sharp edges!
Refugee Reunification: More Like a Game of Hide and Seek
So, here we are, *more than nine months* after Canada launched a “family reunification program” for refugees from Gaza, and *only 334* Palestinians are sipping maple syrup in their new country. That’s like going to a buffet and leaving with just a doggy bag. What happened? Did the rest get trapped in a particularly gripping episode of *Survivor*? The Canada *IRCC* points to the closure of the Rafah crossing. Oh, joy—more red tape than a politician’s campaign promise!
The Badah Family: Hope and Hardship
Meet the Badah family. They fled Gaza with dreams of dancing on the sidewalks of Canada with their cousins. Ahmed, the dad, thought he was setting a course for paradise. After all, you rarely hear bad news coming from Canada. It’s all “We’re so polite!” and “Fresh water everywhere!” But they’ve been stuck in Egypt, playing the waiting game. No work, no school for the kids, and not even a free sample at Costco. Just a whole bunch of *nada*—and here’s the kicker: they did everything by the book.
Ah, the Bureaucratic Follies!
Now, here comes the juicy part: *the selection process*. Apparently, the multi-step security screening is meant to protect the health and safety of Canadians. But why the third background check? It’s like running a marathon and being asked to prove you know how to tie your shoes. “Hello? We already passed security at the Egypt-Israeli border, but of course, let’s make sure I’m also not a secret agent for a rival nation in the meantime!” It’s an exercise in absurdity. Ahmed’s frustration is palpable, reminding us of a classic Gervais line—being treated like a threat just because of nationality? Seriously, that’s as outdated as pants with elastic bands—Though, to be honest, they do come in handy during holiday dinners!
Double Standards? Oh, You Bet!
Now, let’s talk numbers. Uganda brought in 300,000 Ukrainians, while 334 Palestinians are stuck in limbo. You’d think Canada was trying to pick a winner on a game show—*Tell us why we should let you into our country without any questions!* But to Ahmed and others, it feels like they’ve been handed the “Gaza” edition of Monopoly, where no one gets to pass go or collect $200. IRCC argues the major difference is that Ukrainians could leave at will. But here’s the zinger—the people the *Duty* met in Cairo were left scratching their heads. “We can’t leave!” The Canadian immigration system’s approach looks suspiciously like it’s wearing blinders.
The Social Media Saviors
Ahmed’s been proactive, launching a GoFundMe campaign, and bless him for that! But how sad is it that in the year of our Lord 2023, you can get a billion likes for your cat doing tricks, yet you need to crowdfund to provide for your family? There’s something inherently weird about a system where cats get more attention than a kid who’s experienced six wars and is now navigating mental health issues. That’s the world we live in, folks! Come for the cute cats, stay for the tragedies of human suffering!
Final Thoughts: Hope in the Water
At the end of it all, there’s a glimmer of hope—Ahmed’s parents made it to Canada, where the only danger is possibly wearing white after Labor Day. They report fresh water everywhere! That’s a luxury many take for granted. Isn’t it ironic? All they wanted was basic human needs—freedom, safety, and water that doesn’t taste like it’s been filtered through an old sock. But just because the journey is long and filled with bureaucratic hurdles doesn’t mean the dream is over.
So here’s hoping Ahmed and his family break through that bureaucratic wall of nonsense. Canada shows it has a big heart; let’s just hope it doesn’t get caught in a bureaucratic traffic jam!
And there you have it! The commentary was a wild ride on the rollercoaster of bureaucracy and human emotion—giving you the humor and the heartbreak in equal measure! Cheers!
More than 9 months after the launch of a federal family reunification program for refugees from Gaza, only 334 Palestinians were able to benefit from the 5,000 temporary resident visas (TRV) promised by Canada. To explain this starving figure, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada (IRCC) points to the closure of the Rafah crossing point last May, which now prevents any applicant from leaving the Gaza Strip. According to the experience of Palestinians Duty met in Egypt, the low number of elected officials would rather be linked to the cumbersomeness of the selection process.
When the Badah family fled the Gaza Strip in April, they had only one idea in mind: to reach Cairo so they could immigrate to Canada, where members of their close family already live.
“Canada never makes headlines in the news, there don’t seem to be any big problems there. And then people seem very nice according to the feedback we get,” explains Ahmed, the 39-year-old father whose brother, a Canadian citizen, has lived in Vancouver for more than seven years.
His wife, Shirihan, whose brother Omar also lives in Vancouver, sums up the few prospects available to them: “Canada is our only hope. »
Eight months after starting the process to come to Canada, the Badah family is still stuck in Egypt, where they do not benefit from any legal status. Ahmed and Shirihan cannot work or send their two children to school, nor have access to the public health system.
However, the couple thinks they have done everything by the book to be able to travel to Canada.
A few days after Ottawa implemented a program for the reunification of Palestinian families on January 9, their respective brothers filed online a special form for situations of crisis, accompanied by all required documents.
Arriving in Egypt on April 19, not without having paid $15,000 to cross the border with the private company Hala, Shirihan and Ahmed finalized their registration in the program on June 28 by transmitting their biometric data. Their criminal backgrounds are also checked. And since then, nothing.
Why is it blocking?
“Given the complexity of the situation in Gaza and in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians, a multi-step security screening approach has been implemented. Processing times vary depending on the details and complexity of each case,” explains the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada (IRCC).
This justification perplexes Ahmed, who sees it as unnecessary bureaucracy.
“Our profile was already verified by Israel and Egypt when we left Gaza. Do we really need to do background checks a third time? We Palestinians are always seen as potential terrorists, it’s a bit ridiculous,” he regrets, a little bitterly.
Few authorized requests were successful
According to the figures that IRCC transmitted to the Duty4,245 VRT applications had been accepted as of October 5, out of the 5,000 visas available.
Of this number, 733 people who left Gaza on their own were able to submit their application and were authorized to come to Canada. And among them, only 334 people actually arrived in Canada, or less than 8% of accepted VRT applications.
Since the month of May and the closure by Israel of the Rafah crossing point, the explanation put forward by IRCC has always been the same to justify the few requests that have been successful: the impossibility for applicants to leave the Gaza Strip. . Indeed, for a temporary resident visa application to be finalized, individuals must be able to leave the Palestinian enclave to register their biometric data in Egypt.
IRCC’s justification therefore does not hold for the approximately 120,000 Palestinians who managed to travel to Egypt.
People still perceive us as a threat. That’s how it works, it’s not fair. We’re not dangerous.
Double standards
The number of Palestinians arriving in Canada in ten months is a far cry from the approximately 300,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the country since 2022, under a similar program for which nearly a million applications have been processed.
For IRCC, the difference is that in the case of Ukraine, people generally had the option to leave the country at will. The Gazans that Duty met in Cairo rather point to a difference in treatment between Ukrainians and Palestinians.
This is the case of Ahmed, who wonders why many countries have welcomed Syrians or Ukrainians in recent years, but are now reluctant to open their arms to the people of Gaza.
“People still perceive us as a threat. That’s how it works, it’s not fair. We’re not dangerous. For 99% of us, everything would be fine. »
This is also the case for Amjad Okal, who Duty also met in Cairo, where he is awaiting a visa from Canada for him and his family. “Canada is the country that offers us the most employment and study opportunities, in the case of my son. Unfortunately, there is discrimination against Palestinians. Gaza is of less interest than Ukraine. »
“Fresh water everywhere”
While waiting for the precious sesame for him and his family, Ahmed is patient.
His family’s precarious financial situation generates a lot of stress for him, he says. Recently, he launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to provide for his family. Added to the financial difficulties are health problems: Ahmed suffers from anemia, he lost 30 kilos in Gaza. The nightmares also continue, “almost every night,” he confides.
Adam, her 8-year-old son who has already experienced six wars in his life, also suffers from mental disorders. He walks on tiptoe and Ahmed suspects an autism disorder. The war didn’t help anything.
The only bright spot for Ahmed: his parents obtained their visa for Canada in July, even though they had arrived in Egypt a few weeks before him.
In fact, the last time he spoke to his father, Ahmed asked him what his favorite thing was since his arrival. “Water, there is fresh water everywhere,” he replied. Ahmed can’t wait to taste this water too, he told the Duty.
