TORONTO, 6 February 2003 — Nearly 580 refugees, mostly Pakistanis, have arrived in Canada from America in last 35 days, a senior government official said here Tuesday.
As the INS registration deadline of Feb. 21 draws nearer, more Pakistanis are expected to come to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — all major Canadian cities close to the US border.
A spokesman for the office of Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Denis Coderre told this correspondent that 584 people have reached Canada between Jan. 1 to Feb. 4, 2003, with most of them asking for refugee status. “It’s difficult for me to give details of their countries of origin but I can say this much that most of these refugees are Pakistanis,” he said.
Asked as to why the new Canadian-American border agreement has not yet been implemented, he said he could not give any reason or the date when the laws concerning the deal would be enforced.
The border agreement called “Third Safe Country Treaty” was signed by Canada and the US late last year to put restrictions on refugees entering in each other’s country. When implemented, the agreement will allow Canada to refuse entry to those who would be coming here from America to seek official refugee status. Similarly America can also return refugees going from Canada to the US.
Meanwhile, Ottawa has asked all landed immigrants living across Canada to apply for the Permanent Resident (PR) Card. An official announcement said that after Dec. 31, 2003, landed immigrants will need a PR card while returning to Canada from their tour abroad. Canadian citizens do not need this card.
The announcement further said that permanent residents (landed immigrants) returning to Canada would be asked to present PR card while boarding an airplane, boat, bus or train.
“ If you are a permanent resident traveling abroad without a valid PR Card as of Dec. 31, 2003, you may not be permitted to board an airplane, boat, train or bus back to Canada. You may be referred to the closest Canadian embassy or consulate to obtain a limited use travel document. This may result in travel delays and extra costs for you,” the announcement said.
