Asylum Seeker Program

Helping Asylum seekers find safety and feel welcome.

Canadians often assume that seeking asylum in Canada is a quick and easy route to permanent residency and citizenship. Nothing could be further from the truth. With its emphasis on due process, the asylum claim system is a complex machine whose wheels turn slowly. It is managed by a number of bureaucracies which offer different pathways through the system based on the details of the claim.

At CAIR, we provide a way through the complexities, helping refugee claimants understand and complete the multitude of forms that must be filling out, gather and translate the evidence needed to support their claim, and prepare for the hearings they must attend. CAIR's asylum seeker services include but are not limited to assisting, accompanying, and advocating for refugee claimants in our community. We also work with Protected Persons and Convention Refugees who have a successful refugee claims.

ASSIST

In our assist programs, we focus on improving access to justice through support navigating complex processes and systems.

Our Assist program provides support for the key stages of the refugee claim process, including:

ACCOMPANY

As new country, language, climate, and culture can bring many challenges for asylum seekers struggling to meet their basic needs. CAIR helps refugee claimants:

ADVOCATE

Issues such as unfair legislation and barriers to families' reunification are just two of the many significant obstacles facing refugee claimants.

CAIR raises awareness in the community and advocating for change at various levels of public and political influence and policy formation. Current Advocacy Initiatives include: