‘Complete apathy’ clouds feds’ pursuit of family reunification plan, say Sudanese Canadians

This article is the second in a series exploring delays in Canada’s family reunification regime put in place after the onset of the Sudan civil war. Members of the Sudanese Canadian community who are imploring the federal government to move faster to process applications for family members to come to Canada say they have been met with “apathy” and a lack of urgency. Eight months after the launch of the program to bring family members affected by the Sudanese civil war to Canada, initial hope has been replaced with frustration and anger as no applications have yet been approved. Applications for the program have been shuttered since this past spring when it reached its cap of 3,250 applications, which a spokesperson for the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada said accounts for 7,300 people who were living in Sudan at the onset of the civil war. Those seeking approval must be sponsored by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. After being processed—which includes going through medical and security screening—the federal government will grant a visa or a single-use travel document if the applicant doesn’t have a passport. Approved applicants will also be given confirmation of being a permanent resident. “The main thing I can deduce is complete apathy towards Sudanese refugees who are dying while awaiting this program,” said a source involved in the Sudanese Canadian community who is familiar with engagement efforts with the federal government, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis. “There is no sense of urgency and there is just apathy to it,” the source said. They recounted one meeting that included Immigration Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs, Que.) where a family member broke down in tears as Miller said that it may take into 2026 for applications to be processed. “That person told him that was going to mean her father would inevitably pass away in the war,” the source said. “Despite that, the minister still couldn’t promise to expedite the processing of applications.” Miller said publicly in March that arrival of family members from Sudan would occur in late 2024 and into 2025, but information shared by MPs with applicants show a much longer timeline, with processing not completed until 2027 and 2028. While the global collective attention is focused on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan—which first broke out in April 2023—has produced the worst ongoing refugee crisis in the world, with more than 10 million people displaced, and 20,000 killed. A report from a United Nations fact-finding mission released in September found that both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were behind “large-scale violations, including indiscriminate and direct attacks carried out through airstrikes and shelling against civilians, schools, hospitals, communication networks and vital water and electricity supplies.” As Canada’s family reunification program for Sudan was being developed in the months after the outbreak of war, the Sudanese community was told that the delay in announcing a program was due to the government’s wish to add more slots to the program. But when it was announced in November 2023, those extra spaces didn’t materialize. “We repeatedly mentioned to the government the urgency of this program and how we desperately need this program launched and expedited, and that we have not seen at all,” the source said. “There’s a lack of pressure on as this is a forgotten conflict,” the source remarked. “Due to their own implicit biases, they might not empathize as much. These are Black Muslim refugees. They are not people that look like the minister, and most of the people who work with him.” Conservative MP Greg McLean (Calgary Centre, Alta.), who has been forwarding case files from people in his riding, said the program hasn’t been moving fast enough. Conservative MP Greg McLean says processing applicants in the Sudanese family reunification program is taking 'a lot longer than it should.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade He said security checks have been taking a long time as there is a backlog in processing in Canada’s African high commissions in Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. McLean said the current wait is a long one, especially for those in refugee camps. “So, we’d like to see that expeditated,” he said. “It seems like it is taking a lot longer than it should.” “So many international watch groups declare this to be the No. 1 humanitarian issue in the world right now. Trying to find a solution to the war is tantamount to getting this solved as well. But in the meantime, it is a horrific situation for Sudanese people who are looking to live in some kind of stability,” McLean said. In May 2023, McLean sponsored a petition that called to “fast track” immigration for Sudanese people who wish to come to Canada, especially those who are related to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. McLean said the government’s shifting rhetoric on immigration has led to a decrease in flexibility to bring in refugees from Sudan. “ is unfortunate because they are in the middle of a civil war,” he said. “This is a dire human catastrophe happening in the heart of Africa that we’re trying to be more involved in, yet other things are obviously occupying a lot of space right now.” An IRCC spokesperson told The Hill Times last month that Canada continues to "prioritize" applications. ‘They just don’t care about Sudanese’ For those fleeing the violence and despair brought by the war, the trip out of the war-torn Northeast African nation has been fraught with danger. Back in Canada, the wait for applications to be processed by IRCC is a laborious endeavour for those with family members in the queue. The family of Hala Sharaf's brother-in-law, Ashraf Fageeri, second from left, has faced a daunting journey to escape the Sudanese civil war. Photograph courtesy of Hala Sharaf Hala Sharaf has been trying to bring 22 of her and her husband’s family members to Canada. All applications for their relatives were submitted before the resettlement program reached its cap. Ashraf Fageeri, Sharaf’s brother-in-law, was well-established in Sudan’s financial sector before the onset of the war, but after relocating to different cities in Sudan, he and his family had to flee the country in January as the RSF was increasingly gaining more ground. Fageeri and his family crossed the border to relocate to Egypt as they tried to connect with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to gain legal status to stay. The Egyptian government had announced that it would deport anyone who was without legal status to remain. Earlier this year, the family secured an August appointment with the UNCHR. But in July, Fageeri went to pick up food, and never returned. “For seven days, his kids, wife, and other family members didn’t know where he was what happened to him,” Sharaf said. “What happened was he was detained by the Egyptian forces, then he was deported to the Sudanese border.” Back in Sudan, Fageeri was desperate to return to Egypt in time to make his family’s appointment with the UNCHR. According to Sharaf, Fageeri was able to find a truck driver who would take him across the border. As the truck quickly travelled quickly north on a sandy road, he fell off, but tried to keep hold of the vehicle. In doing so, four of his fingers were torn from his right hand. Fageeri was taken back to Port Sudan where he was admitted to the hospital. Sharaf said Sudanese are suffering more than anyone is acknowledging. She said the Canadian government needs to keep its promise and process applications for Sudanese refugees to join their families in Canada. “You have asked some people to meet difficult timelines in a difficult time, and they have made it. So keep your promise," she said. “Let us feel valued as Canadians. Let us feel that you are treating us equally as other people—this is what I’m expecting from the Canadian government.” Sharaf said there is no rationale for how long it has taken to process applications. “I couldn’t find other than they just don’t care about Sudanese. They are just ignoring them,” she said. “I couldn’t find any other reason than being discriminated , being from Africa, having Black skin. I couldn’t find anything—nothing.” Sharaf said the process has become an extreme financial and mental strain on her family. “It’s too much. I’ve been using my line of credit, my credit cards, my incomes. I’ve had to list my house that I recently purchased like two years ago,” she said, as the cost of living in Canada coupled with supporting families fleeting the civil war abroad has contributed to immense stress. “I wasn’t in Sudan when the war started. I haven’t heard any shooting or anything like that. But still every night I am having nightmares,” she said. The exit out of Sudan for Sharafeldin Mohammed was a dangerous and costly journey as he remains in limbo while in the United Arab Emirates. Photograph courtesy of Hala Sharaf Other members of Sharaf’s family have faced daunting and expensive journeys to escape Sudan. Sharaf’s father, Sharafeldin Mohammed, was kicked out of his apartment in Khartoum by RSF militants who took his phone and car. He was stuck in Khartoum for two months with very little food and medication, and developed malaria and dengue fever. Sharaf said it cost thousands of dollars to convince someone to drive her father less than 150 kilometres to Al-Hasaheisa, passing through RSF checkpoints along the way, which required payment. Mohammed was eventually admitted to hospital, and later was able to get a visa for travel to the United Arab Emirates. But while there under the emergency visa, Sharaf’s family members are unable to work or study, and do not have medical insurance. “If anything happens, we have to support them financially, and it's extremely expensive,” Sharaf said. “The UAE government could make any kind of decision not to renew that kind of visa, so it’s something temporary.” nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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‘Complete apathy’ clouds feds’ pursuit of family reunification plan, say Sudanese Canadians

As Sudanese Canadians wait for family members to be approved to come to Canada, concern mounts that delays will be fatal for those stuck in a war zone.

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