Afghan nationals who are at increased risk of injury or death for working with the Canadian mission in Afghanistan will be able to utilize a new, streamlined process to apply for permanent residency status in Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Afghan citizens who have worked for the Canadian mission for a minimum of 12 months, and can prove they face injury or death as a result, may apply for the new program.
"Their lives and those of their families may be threatened by insurgents, or they may have suffered serious injuries as they worked with our government, with our troops, with our aid workers, with our diplomats," Kenney said at an Ottawa news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
"We appreciate their service. We recognize the risks that they've taken and we want to ensure their safety by offering them special consideration if they choose to relocate here to Canada."
The program applies to Afghans who have worked for the Canadian government or companies working on behalf of the Canadian government, and not private-sector organizations that are not directly part of the Canadian mission, Kenney said.
Afghans who have been injured and can no longer work due to their role in the mission can also apply to the program, as well as the children and spouses of Afghan nationals who were killed in the line of duty.
All applicants will have to undergo medical and security checks. They will also have to submit an application to a special committee that will be comprised of various Canadian government ministries working in Afghanistan.
While the goal is to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan so its citizens can remain, or resettle, in the country, there are some for whom that's not possible due to their support for the mission, Kenney said.
And these people are not designated refugees under UN conventions or other international or domestic laws, and so they require a special program, he said.
"The success of the mission in Kandahar is vital to the security and the development of Afghanistan and the Afghan people. And the assistance offered by Afghan nationals is an integral part of that success," Kenney said. "The government of Canada is introducing these measures because it's the right thing to do for those who have put their lives, and sometimes the lives of their families, at risk for Canada, for Canadians and, indeed, for their fellow Afghans."
Kenney did not specify the cost of the program. However, he said it will end with the Canadian mission in 2011.
He said the government expects there will be "a few hundred" successful applicants by the end of the program, including about 150 in the first year.
Successful applicants will qualify for much of the assistance offered conventional refugees who arrive in Canada, including help with travel costs, 12 months of income support, training programs and other help.
