IRCC to implement new immigration initiatives for Sudanese nationals who are currently staying in Canada. The announcement came on April 24 and applies to Sudanese nationals who are finding it difficult to return home due to their country’s uncertain conditions.
The new immigration initiatives for Sudanese temporary residents residing in Canada are as follows:
- Sudanese nationals living in Canada are eligible to request a change in temporary streams as well as an extension of their current status to continue working, learning, or traveling. Extensions are completely free.
- IRCC will aim to expedite the processing of final temporary and permanent residence applications. This measure applies to individuals still in Sudan while their applications are in the system. Also, this applies to Visitor Visa applications of close family members of those with PR and Canadian citizenship.
- Besides this, Canada will also do away with the fee for passports and travel documents for permanent residents and Canadians in Sudan who want to leave.
IRCC to implement new immigration initiatives
Canada always seeks to support vulnerable individuals across the globe, and standing true to its nature, it is worried for those in Sudan, Canadians, as well as their families.
Sean Fraser even stated that they are working on the given situation and will wish to support those who seek refuge in Canada. Meanwhile, IRCC considers that those with eligibility for priority processing will still need to qualify for all eligibility requirements. Additionally, it looks forward to allotting officers to areas to support those on the ground to assist immigration-related functions.
Furthermore, IRCC explained that regular developments restrict the movement within the country. As a result, it limits their capacity to process new applications at present.
Furthermore, Global Affairs Canada reported a temporary suspension of operations in Sudan. Moreover, these existing initiatives are a reaction to the ongoing conflict within the country. The conflict occurred near Khartoum.
Sudanese nationals in Canada
The Census data 2021 states that nearly 17, 485 individuals in Canada belong to Sudan’s cultural origin or ethnicity. Furthermore, 4,690 happen to be recent immigrants in Canada, with Sudan as their birth country.
Also, these new initiatives are pretty similar to the ones taken to support Turkish and Syrians suffering from the earthquake in February 2022. These are similar to those measures announced on February 23rd to support the Iranians in Canada. All of these situations were in times of uncertainty.
