Canadian Refugee Claimants Reveal the Lack of Access to Immigrant Social Services

Refugee claimants are legally, financially and socially, one of the most unprotected classes in Canada. And while there are many immigrant services available, many would be surprised to find out that even immigrant services discriminate. Refugee claimants, or asylum seekers, do not have the same access to social services as refugees who have received their status from the government, leaving them highly susceptible to food insecurity.

First, I should clarify the difference between a refugee claimant and a refugee. According to the Canadian Council for Refugees, a refugee claimant (or asylum seeker) is “a person who has fled their country and is asking for protection in another country.”

A refugee is “a person who is forced to flee from persecution and who is located outside of their home county.” A person remains a refugee claimant until a decision is made on their case and they are granted refugee status. This process can take years, in some cases, up to a decade. And, if a refugee claimant gives birth within this time frame, their children are not granted Canadian citizenship despite being born in Canada – the child, therefore, falls victim to their parent’s status.

For this piece, I sat down with Prudence Iticka of Black People United (BPU), who co-facilitated the discussion, and three women – two refugee claimants and one refugee who had recently been granted her status at the time of the interview. 

Before getting into the discussion – a few disclaimers. Considering the precariousness of these womens' position, I will share their thoughts with as little identifying information as possible; I have the consent of each person to do so. Also, the women interviewed are francophone, so I’ve translated their words in order to share them with a predominantly anglophone audience.

Lastly, while it is common journalistic practice to request a statement from organizations that are criticized, I decided that for this piece, I would honour these women’s lived experience without asking for the rebuttal of organizations that have much more systemic power than they do.

*Amala: Mother of 4 children, 5 months in Calgary, refugee claimant

Mira: Mother of 2 children (only one with her in Calgary), 2 years in Calgary, refugee claimant 

Fatima: 4 years in Calgary, status refugee
*Names have been changed. Story has been edited for clarity, brevity and confidentiality.

Q1: What are some things that the public doesn’t know or realize when it comes to accessing services, food in particular, as refugee claimants?

Amala: It’s not easy at all, it's a very difficult experience. We are very, very limited when it comes to aid. People don’t understand – for example, I had a child in Canada, but that child didn’t have access to subsidized daycare in Quebec. I’m forced to work nights to alternate with my husband [to manage child care]. And here in Calgary, accessing English classes to find work isn’t easy. I find it very difficult to be a refugee claimant.

And the wait is so long, it weighs on you. It’s not easy. And with BPU, since I met [anonymous BPU member], she really helped me. In fact, she motivated me to move here from Montreal. And since I’ve moved here, I’ve had great experiences with BPU. They do their best to help us, even if they may not 100% have what we need.

Q2: How have your experiences differed in terms of receiving aid from BPU as opposed to other formal social services?

Amala: I’ve gone to the Food Bank many times and compared to BPU, quite frankly, they don’t ask us for anything. I just have to call BPU, ask for this and that, and they send it right away. Compared to formal organizations where you have to bring papers, proof of employment, you have to register, etc. But with BPU you don’t need any of that, it's very human, and it’s like a family, for me, honestly. It helps us feel like we have someone we can count on, no matter what time of the day – who will always respond to you. And that’s the familial relationship that we’re looking for. It helps you stay motivated to get through the process of gaining status, because the process can weigh down heavily on your morale.

Mira: I’ve really suffered because of the restrictions that come with being a refugee claimant. Even if you’re capable, things like ESL classes, when you’re a refugee claimant, you’re not eligible, so I think that’s unfair. Even other training programs, you’re not eligible to participate even if you have the capacity.

As a refugee claimant, I pay attention to programs offered by the government. Last time, there was a program – I forgot the name of it – and we thought we were eligible because it was a program for francophones. My husband passed the TEF test at Alliance Française, but when we went to fill out the form to take part in the program, we were surprised to find out that we weren’t eligible because we’re refugee claimants.

Concerning resources, I don’t really look to formal organizations because I think sometimes, they ask for too much. For example, if you go to the Food Bank – I don’t know if there are others – you have to show proof of employment, your salary – and even Prudence, the link you sent me to the Salvation Army, in the form, there’s a part where you have to put in your tax information. I think it’s – I know it's general, to offer resources, and it’s not necessarily for refugee claimants – they ask for so many different things and with BPU it's really different. With BPU, you don’t have to show proof of resources, if you need something, they’re very open. So far, I haven’t met any other organizations like that.

Q3: To follow up on the idea of inaccessibility when it comes to taking ESL classes and other educational programs, what would everyone like to see, in terms of programs and resources, that would help you settle into Calgary better, regardless of status?

Amala: What we’d like to see change is, it would be nice if there was an English program for refugee claimants because everything starts there. Learning the language would make it easier to find a job here because like Mira said earlier, we are capable just like everyone else, it’s just our status that’s in the way.

In Montreal, since we speak French, finding a job wasn’t difficult at all. After a month of being there I’d already found work and it didn’t even feel like we were refugee claimants because the most important thing is to have money to pay your bills and life goes on. The papers, we just wait, and when we receive status, we receive status. 

Mira: For me, I would like to see the end of discrimination against refugee claimants. If there’s a service for newcomers, refugee claimants are also newcomers, why do we block them from accessing services? For example, for English classes, if you are francophone, first, you have to take English classes before finding a job. It will be difficult to find work if you don’t speak English here. Even if you speak English, it's still difficult as a newcomer. It took me nine months to find a job here because I didn’t have Canadian experience. I think that’s discrimination. I had 10 years of administrative experience, but I had a hard time because I didn’t have Canadian experience. What’s the difference between Canadian experience and other types of experience? And maybe there’s a bit of a difference, but it's not that much. 

Amala: I went to Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA), there was a lady that told me that there are cooking classes and I’m passionate about cooking and I thought “wow, that’s nice, there are cooking classes, I’d like to take some!” She told me that they weren’t for refugee claimants, they’re for permanent residents or refugees that have been granted status. She also told me that they have English classes, but that refugee claimants would have to pay $200 to access those courses. Here I am looking for work. How am I going to pay $200 for English classes? I told her I didn’t have money for English classes and I never went back there.

Prudence: [Interjects to echo Amala’s point] They’ll say yes to your friend that’s PR (permanent resident) and ‘no’ to the friend that’s not. So I’m glad they’re bringing this up and that y’all can hear it from folks, because I swear when we say these things, people think we’re being dramatic or something. 

Amala: I noticed that being a refugee claimant and also being Black, we are doubly impacted by discrimination. People refer us to CIWA and other organizations for resources but honestly, I had a very bad experience with them and I wouldn’t send anyone there. They don’t help. And as a Black person, I noticed discrimination, not just at CIWA, but everywhere.

Ado: If you’re comfortable, could you further explain?

Amala: The day I went to CIWA, there was another lady there, an Arabic woman – I speak Arabic and french. We had a conversation and she told me that she was also a refugee claimant. Someone at CIWA welcomed her with a gift package, but when I went, the young lady told me that I had to make an appointment and return the next day. I don’t speak English, but my husband does, so he accompanied me to translate. 

The next day, we returned and spoke to the same young lady, she told us that she could help but she gave our file to another lady, a Nigerian lady. The Nigerian spoke to us and told us that they have a lot of resources and that they would help us. She took our information and arranged for us to get furniture at WINS. 

And two days later, a lady called from CIWA – told me she had my file – regarding my English and cooking classes and told me that I wasn’t eligible because it was only for accepted refugees and permanent residents. And that’s when she told me that I would have to pay $200 for English courses. 

I noticed that I was being discriminated against because according to what the Arabic lady told me in Arabic, it wasn’t the same thing. She had the same status as me, but I didn’t receive the same welcome that she did.

Q4: Is there anything else that’s important that I haven’t given you the chance to discuss?

Prudence: I think the recurring narrative is that there are too many barriers. And as Mira was saying earlier, those barriers don’t even make sense. They’re there almost to punish refugee claimants, almost like telling them to go back home, because some of these barriers, they can’t even explain them. These organizations that are so bureaucratic, so formal, they need to question themselves: if fundamentally, your role is to help immigrant women – organizations like CIWA – how do you justify rejecting a segment of this very immigrant population?

I would like for those organizations to question themselves to ask what is the reason for all these barriers? If we have a cause that is just and pure and we know that refugee claimants are very vulnerable, how can you then deprive them of resources? It doesn’t make sense right? So I hope this opens up the conversation about all these barriers. Why not just treat people with dignity? Why do you have to prove that you’re so desperate before we can help you? I don’t think any of those organizations treat their clients in a way that is dignified. It’s like people really have to lower themselves to gain access to their resources. I don’t think that’s right.

Especially when some of these organizations are led by Africans, they probably have a similar story and they come out of that situation just to turn around and treat their brothers and sisters the same way.

Mira: And I would like to add something. Even with those barriers, I see they’re very interested in us when we finally receive our papers. It's to prove that they have a lot of clients and to receive funding, but they still limit your services. That’s what I’ve noticed.

Prudence: And that’s a very good point she brought up, and she is right. It is for them to be able to access grants. Because they ask for papers and they photocopy it, so they can prove that they’ve had “500 clients this year, this month.” So, that’s a very very good point. This is something we hear a lot.

Q5: Fatima, as someone who’s been accepted, can you share what it's like to go from refugee claimant to accepted refugee, and the differences in terms of accessing different resources?

Fatima: When you’re new here, when you’re a refugee claimant, it's very stressful. When my status changed, I felt a bit more settled/normal compared to before. Now I can ask for services and they’re responsive, now I’m learning English, all of that puts me at ease now.

Prudence: I want to take the time to explain that the experiences of these women is why we created BPU, because we’re aware of these structures and the barriers within and to us it never made sense. If someone is in need and we are able to share resources, we will. We don’t care about a paper that says accepted or not accepted. 

This article is part 1 in the Refugee Claimant Series. The Refugee Claimant Series was developed in partnership with Black People United and the Leftovers Foundation. For an introduction to the series, check out Afros In Tha City Presents: Refugee Claimant Series in Partnership with BPU and the Leftovers Foundation