Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinus
I don't normally agree with what you say on this forum, but I have to admit if there is anyone's personal experience that can provide validation that Canada should take a tougher stance on these people sneaking across the border into Canada, it can be found in this quoted post.
%100 agree with you (this time  ) |
To add more to this. The way it worked and continues to work is you go to the first safe country that you can get to, apply for asylum and you become a refugee (if accepted after through back ground checks etc), and go on a waiting list for a country to accept you for permanent resettlement. In Austria we were at first detained of course and ended up in a processing center for asylum seekers, once processed and identified and granted refugee status we were placed in sponsored housing and given German languages classes, school was arranged and everyone was helped with finding work. In our case we eventually had a choice of Australia, South Africa and Canada for permanent settlement as genuine political refugees who could not return to our country at the time. South Africa was already beginning to fall apart and Canada was chosen over Australia because of the nature. We were flown (not for free) to Newfoundland, our plane tickets were a loan from the Canadian government and had to be repaid but we were offered sponsored shelter, English classes and help to find work. There were no jobs in Newfoundland and we managed to get to BC. We were 1 year of refugee assistance where there is some minor financial help that keeps you alive, English classes are free, a apartment is found, job search is helped with and we were given some basic furniture (mattresses, couple dressers, kitchen table, alarm clocks!, and a few other basic necessities). I was fairly young but my parents had to work shitty jobs for years and believe me for a long time they regretted coming to Canada, and to this day are not sure if it was a good choice. Also keep in mind we came with nothing but the clothes on our backs from a equal communist country where the few assets we had were seized the moment we defected. Unlike some refugees and economic migrants coming in today we did not have a dollar to our name beyond the few things we could carry. So it was lots of fun. Food bank helped and various other organizations (in Austria the first sponsored housing fed us expired dog food). Sorry to say I also remember stealing from Value Village a couple times because it was easy and with no money there were few options to get a couple necessities. We were all law abiding but sometimes you unfortunately have to make minor exceptions in emergency times. Anyways everyone learned English quick, and had crappy jobs right away etc.
Anyways the point is there is a functioning system in place for genuine refugees who enter the first safe country. These people are nothing but economic migrants country shopping and que jumping and the fact they are not immediately deported really bugs me. There are legitimate refugees waiting all over to come to Canada, everyone of these parasites that is allowed to stay takes a spot from a legitimate refugee waiting in line.