Afghan-Canadian says she's losing hope of reuniting her family in Toronto

Saadiyeh Aria works at Toronto's Pearson Airport, watching day after day as people are reunited with loved ones — but when it comes to the two people she most wants to see walking through the arrival doors, there's no hope in sight.

Despite years of trying to bring her mother and younger brother to Canada, Aria says she's hit a wall.

"If we knew ... we would have never come to Canada," she said.

Aria, now a Canadian citizen, came to Canada as a refugee in 2008 along with her brother, sister, niece and nephew.

She and her family fled Afghanistan together for safety reasons in 2006, but wound up separated along the way. Her mother is now in Denmark, where she's safe but undergoing cancer treatment with only Aria's brother to care for her.

Aria said her family is set up well to care for her mom, but frustrated that Canada isn't making it easy for her to come here. Throughout Aria's journey, she says she was assured by the Canadian embassy officials that her family could one day be reunited in this country.

Now she's finding out that may not be true. What she's finding out is there isn't a specific application that fits the category her brother falls under in the sponsor your family members to immigrate to Canada section — and the immigration options to sponsor her mom are limited.

Family took winding path to Canada  

The year they fled Afghanistan, the family spent a short time in Iran before being designated refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Turkey.

During a dangerous exit from Turkey, the family of seven was separated by police, and only their mother and younger brother were able to leave the country. They lost contact with each other after that.

Aria says the United Nations helped them to seek refuge from different embassies in Turkey, which is how they made it to Canada. 

Once here, Aria and her family members scanned TV programs aimed at reuniting Afghan families. That led them to discover their mom and younger brother were safe and living in Denmark.

But since 2008, the family has had no luck in bringing them to Canada despite pursuing multiple avenues, Aria says.

For Aria's mother to join her in Canada, there are two options, the IRCC says. One is a super visa, which allows parents and grandparents to stay in the country for up to five years per stay, with the possibility of a two-year extension.

Aria tried that route but was rejected.

The other option is the parents and grandparents sponsorship program. That program involves a yearly lottery where the government randomly selects and invites potential sponsors to apply to bring their parents and grandparents to the country. 

Aria says her family has applied every year for the lottery program since its creation in 2016, but has never been invited to apply. 

As for her brother, Aria says there's no clear path to bring him here. Her brother was 17 when the family started applying. He is now 23, and according to the government's website as of this year he no longer qualifies to be included in their mother's sponsorship application.

On its website, the federal government says, "You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle in very specific situations."

Aria said the government should be more up front about that challenge and do far more to communicate with families in situations like hers.

"When they [the Canadian government] don't do anything about family reunification, please don't say it," she said.

An IRCC spokesperson told CBC Toronto that family reunification remains a top priority. 

Safe third-country rules at issue, says lawyer

Immigration lawyer Shalini Konanur says she feels the delay in the parents and grandparents sponsorship applications may be because they may be seen as less of a priority than that of children, spouse or common law partners. 

"We all know how hard it is to win the lottery, but can you imagine having to win the lottery to get your parents here?" said Konanur. 

Konanur says she thinks Aria's family has pursued all the right avenues in trying to bring their family members in Denmark to Canada. 

"This is all the direct result of safe third country rules, meaning that if Canada deems you're in a place that is safe, it becomes hard for you to get here," Konanur adds. 

Konanur says the government needs to look at revamping the process to make it easier for people to apply to sponsor family members.  

Meanwhile, Aria is preparing to welcome her first child, but is losing hope of having her little one grow up with her mother and younger brother present. 

"We can't go back to Afghanistan because of the situation. We can't live in Denmark, and [they] can't live in Canada," she said.

"So there is no place the family can be together."