After more than a decade of civil war that displaced millions, the ouster of Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s president by a coalition of rebel groups on Sunday raises questions about what should now happen to Syrian asylum claims.
Many European countries are suspending or stopping the processing of asylum applications from Syria. But what does the future hold for Canada’s Syrian refugee program?
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Canada will continue to evaluate asylum claims because the country does not face the same pressures or numbers of refugees as countries like Germany or Austria.
“We’re not experiencing that influx in Canada. I don’t know what they rank in terms of source countries for asylum seekers, but it’s pretty low,” Miller said.
Canada has nearly 1,600 pending asylum applications from Syria as of September 30.
Germany has more than 47,000 pending asylum applications from the country, according to the Associated Press.
Since 2015, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada.
The plight of the Syrian people fleeing Assad’s brutal crackdown has become part of Canada’s 2015 federal election campaign rhetoric after the image of three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi’s drowned face-down body on a Turkish beach horrified Canadians.
Relatives of Kurdi who fled Syria under family sponsorship in British Columbia were able to come to Canada in December 2015.
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Global News that they cannot predict what future policy changes might occur.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and cannot speculate on future policy decisions. We will also not comment on decisions taken by other countries.”
The statement added that the resettled Syrian refugees arrived in Canada as permanent residents.
Asylum applications in Canada are heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent quasi-judicial tribunal.
Marwa Khabieh, executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, said that while Syrians felt “tremendous joy” over the fall of the Assad regime, the refugee crisis is not over yet.
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“I am deeply concerned and disappointed by these reports of how some countries are stopping or suspending (claims) of asylum seekers. Conditions on the ground in Syria remain unsafe for most refugees to return. There is still a lack of basic services,” she told Global News. and basic infrastructure.
Gauri Srinivasan, co-executive director of the Canadian Refugee Council, said Canada’s response in the past few days has been “excellent.”
“I’m really glad to see that the Canadian government is not rushing to point to any change in policy. I think what we need here is continued monitoring,” she said.
“The Syrians want to visit, but they have not taken action yet.”
Khabih said that despite the joy they feel, members of the Syrian diaspora are worried about their family members back home, especially those who were political prisoners under the Assad regime.
“Almost every Syrian family has a relative or loved one who has been arrested. Most of them are innocent. They did not commit any crime. “Most of them were in the wrong place at a checkpoint, and then disappeared for years,” she said, adding that many of them are posting details about their loved ones on social media or community groups to find out if they are alive and being released by security forces. Rebels.
Khabieh said she hopes to visit her old neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus one day soon, but for many Syrians, returning remains a difficult task.
“A lot of people want to visit,” she added. “But I think moving and leaving Canada is still a step too soon.”
While the rebel coalition was made up of several factions, the group believed to be leading the offensive across Syria is Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, or Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group and terrorist entity listed in Canada and the United States that was formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, has worked to distance itself from the terrorist group and promised to protect Syrian minorities such as Christians and Alawites.
Evren Altinkas, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph, said Canada should monitor the situation carefully.
“There will be a wave of refugees from Syria, especially Shiite, Alawite, Druze, Christian and Kurdish groups if the war continues,” he said.
“I think Canada should start looking at any kind of relief opportunities for these people, because I expect another surge very soon.”
“Policy must remain focused on providing refuge for those fleeing violence and instability, while also contributing to international efforts to stabilize and rebuild Syria,” Koubia said.
The Canadian Council for Political Refugees also warned Canadians against politicizing the issue.
“We really encourage politicians to be very careful in their rhetoric, not to mislead the public and to acknowledge the strong support (among Canadians for Syrian refugees) that still exists,” Srinivasan said.
Germany opened its doors wide to a wave of asylum seekers in 2015 at the height of the Syrian civil war, and is now home to about a million Syrians, the largest Syrian community in Europe.
The Interior Ministry in Berlin said on Monday that it would not consider asylum applications until there was more clarity on political developments in Syria. Britain also temporarily stopped processing asylum applications, and the Home Office said it was assessing the situation.
Under the British government’s plan, 20,319 Syrian refugees were resettled in the country between March 2014 and February 2021, according to the Refugee Council.
Other countries, including Norway, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, also announced the suspension of Syrian applications. France said it hopes to announce a similar decision soon.
The Italian government said in its statement that it would maintain a diplomatic presence in Damascus, expressing “deep gratitude” to the embassy staff there.
-With files from The Canadian Press and Reuters
