Webinar : Refugee Claimants Issues In Canada.

From Borders To Belonging invites you to a webinar titled Refugee Claimants Issues In Canada.

Starting in 1993, Canada’s Inland refugee system began extending refugee protection to people who escape persecution of their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, or HIV status. 

How are LGBTQI refugee claimants in Canada faring 30 years later? 

We will hear from LGBTQI Refugee organizations from locations across Canada for a check-in on current trends and issues, both promising and problematic. The session will start at Canada’s borders, identifying specific impacts of recent policy changes for LGTBQI seeking safety. 

Then, we turn to post-arrival experiences. LGBTQI refugee claimants arrive in Canadian cities, often on their own. The first days and weeks are a struggle to navigate a strange city, find shelter, access legal representation, and seek out critical health and social service support.

At every step, LGTBQI refugee claimants encounter intersectional exclusions and stigmas of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and often poverty. Panelists from organizations that support LGBTQI refugees will share lessons learned from helping people navigate this struggle. Lastly, we will focus on the refugee determination process itself. From 2000 to present, legal and civil society advocacy helped create procedures and specific guidelines to address significant problems of discrimination, intrusiveness, and stereotyping. We’ll hear how these are functioning in the current system of online and paper-based reviews.