Nepalese temporary foreign workers deserve amnesty, says Calgary lawyer
Without government intervention, TFWs will eventually have to return to earthquake shattered country
A Calgary immigration lawyers says the federal government should provide a blanket amnesty for Nepalese citizens working in Canada on temporary permits.
"There's been an unimaginable catastrophe in that country," said Raj Sharma.
"We can do something for them and I think we should do something for them."
- Temporary foreign workers exodus expected after April 1
- In Alberta alone, 10,000 temporary foreign workers have applied to stay in Canada
- Temporary foreign workers prepare to leave the country
Sharma is representing 25 Nepalese living in Calgary and estimates there are about 350 others in Canada under the temporary foreign worker program.
One of his clients says the monsoon season has arrived in Nepal and his family is still living in a tent and sometimes get swamped with water.
"In the nights, they have to stand and they can't sleep," said Naina Budsadsoki.
On April 1, the permits for workers who have been in Canada for more than four years expired.
Sharma is proposing the Harper government give TFWs from Nepal permanent residency, under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, so that they can bring their families to Canada from the earthquake-devastated country.
"I don't think it's appropriate to send them back now or a year from now or two years for now," said Sharma.
He says there is no precedent for this, but doesn't think it will set a precedent either.
"There's over 30,000 Philippine nationals in Canada and natural disasters happen in that country too," said Sharma.
"We've never actually had a situation where we've had such a small country — land-locked country — so massively affected and with so few of their nationals in Canada."
Citizenship and Immigration Canada has issued a notice saying that Nepalese who have applied, or are starting an application, for permanent residency can make a special note indicating how they were impacted by the earthquake.
As a result, their applications could be expedited.
But Sharma says there's "too little butter and too much toast."
"That doesn't help the low-skilled temporary foreign workers, which is the majority of those 350 individuals. There is no pathway for permanent residency for them."