Sudanese Londoners urge Ottawa to loosen rules to help families flee war
More than 10 million people displaced and famine looming in Sudan since war started in April, 2023
Members of London's Sudanese community are calling on the federal government to simplify the application process and increase capacity on its program that allows people who are fleeing the war, to come to Canada through a sponsored family member.
Dozens attended a rally at Victoria Park on Sunday to bring awareness and urge politicians to help those suffering in the ongoing war that began last year in the African country, where more than 10 million people have been displaced and famine is looming.
"The Canadian government can do more for sure because a lot of people are suffering and as a country that says it helps the world, it hasn't done much," said Ghaida Hamdun, 22, one of the event's organizers.
"No one has made it through [the government's] program yet. They have to pay a lot of money and even after that it's not guaranteed that they're going to get residence here. My mom has applied for my aunts and it's a long process, every time there's something else they're asking her for."
Ottawa has sent more than $170 million in aid to people fleeing Sudan and started accepting applications in February, with the intent of creating a new pathway to permanent resident status in Canada for people affected by the conflict. As of May 6, the Government of Canada said on its website it's no longer accepting applications and has received enough to fill the available spaces.
The program is limited to 3,250 people, a number that has drawn criticism from Sudanese groups who say it's a tiny number given the extreme need for help. The minimum funds required to sponsor one person is $9,900, plus an application fee.
Londoner Samah Mahmoud is an immigration consultant who assists families in their applications. She said it's possible for the feds to increase the number of applications they accept and waive certain requirements, as they've previously done for other countries.
Mahmoud pointed to examples like the 40,000-person capacity for Afghan refugees, and the unlimited number of emergency visas that were given to those fleeing the war in Ukraine, along with the temporary waiving of certain immigration processing and biometrics fees for Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members from Feb 2022 to March 2023.
"We've seen how the Canadian government has facilitated immigration programs for other countries, meanwhile the war in Sudan broke out more than a year ago and till now we haven't seen one single person who has been reunited with their families here in Canada," she said.
"Complications with the bureaucratic process aren't making it any easier for families, plus the ridiculous financial requirements are making it impossible for people to help their family members in Sudan to seek a safe haven."
There are no places for people in Sudan to get biometrics done, said Mahmoud, who is part of a lobby group that regularly discusses the issue with federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
Esra Mahmoud, 22, is thankful most of her family fled to neighbouring countries at the war's start, but said she worries for her elderly great-aunt who is still stuck in Sudan and recently had all her belongings stolen after her house was broken into.
"We have no way of contacting her unless she uses someone else's phone and telecommunications are limited in Sudan, so there's only specific times where they can contact us for a few minutes," she said. "We're on the edge constantly trying to make sure she's OK."
Many Sudanese Canadians feel forgotten by the rest of the world, said Hamdun, who runs the London chapter of the 'For Sudanese Liberation' global coalition.
"Sudan is being really overshadowed by a lot of other things going on — which are all equally important — however we've been going through this for over a year now, so it's important for all of us to come together and show allyship," she said.
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