The Government of Canada is facilitating the immigration of up to 1,000 Tibetans living in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India, at the request of the Canada Tibet Committee and Canada's Tibetan community. Up to 1,000 displaced Tibetans, including principal applicants and their eligible family members, will be accepted over a five-year period.
As part of this program, the Canada Tibet Committee has incorporated Project Tibet Society (PTS) to oversee the program. With CTC branches, local Tibetan Cultural Associations and Tibet supporters across Canada, PTS is now in the process of establishing local committees to oversee the five-year program.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is situated in North-Eastern India. With a total area of 83,743 sq. kms, it has a long international border with Tibet (currently occupied by the People's Republic of China) to the north and north-east (1,080 km), Myanmar to the east (440 km) and Bhutan to the west (160 km).
The majority of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by the People's Republic of China and to this day faces threats from insurgent groups.
Conditions of Tibetans in Arunachal Pradesh today
In Tibetan settlements across Arunachal Pradesh there’s already a young child who – with the right opportunities – may be a future doctor, a classical pianist, a scholar or the leader of a new environmental organization.
Yet, even with India’s incredible generosity, the reality for thousands of Tibetans who live in Arunachal Pradesh is that they may never have the chance to realize their potential and to experience what so many in Canada take for granted: the very best for themselves and their children.
Just the inaccessibility of the settlements alone means that providing for the education of children close to home is impossible. Aid supports hundreds of children in their education, but they must attend boarding schools many days journey from their families, with visits home every 3 to 5 years at most. The cost of education is family separation.
Public policy
The Minister established the following temporary public policy under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA):
Up to 1,000 displaced Tibetans, including principal applicants and their eligible family members, may be accepted under this public policy. Principal applicants and their eligible family members, whether they accompany the principal applicant or not, will be counted towards this total.
As of March 17, 2011, applications for permanent residence made under the IRPA by persons who are displaced Tibetans living in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India who have been matched with an approved sponsor in Canada shall be assessed along with their family members by delegated officers to determine whether permanent residence status in Canada could be granted to them on the basis of the criteria that are set out below.
To read more: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/tibet.asp
Criteria
To qualify for this program a displaced Tibetan must be living in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India who:
can demonstrate their identity as a displaced Tibetan;
has resided in Arunachal Pradesh prior to, and continues to reside in Arunachal Pradesh since December 18, 2010;
has been matched with an approved sponsor in Canada through the Project Tibet Society, the umbrella organization working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on the implementation of this program;
are not inadmissible on grounds of security, criminality, war crimes and crimes against humanity, organized crime, health and misrepresentation; and
can demonstrate their ability to successfully establish in Canada.
Groups of Five
A Group of Five is any group of five – or more – Canadians (18 years or older) who live in the community where the Tibetan family will settle. Members will ensure that the necessary support will be provided for the 12 months of the sponsorship. The group will need to show that they have the resources, expertise and commitment to fulfil the sponsorship.
Sponsors are responsible for providing care, lodging, settlement assistance and support for the duration of the sponsorship period. Normally, this is 12 months starting from the day of arrival in Canada or until the family has become self-sufficient, whichever comes first.
Sponsors will be responsible for helping access language training, look for a job, and extend ongoing friendships. They will provide encouragement and help to adjust to life in Canada; teaching the rights and responsibilities of permanent residence in Canada.
With the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (a Toronto-based organization), Project Tibet Society will ensure that the required training is provided to support this exciting initiative. In addition to this training, Project Tibet Society will help guide Groups of Five through all the necessary steps required and be their to counsel groups during the 12 month period.
Group of Five applications are available here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/tibetan.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/information/demandes/tibetain.asp
What to do next
We can help the families of Arunachal Pradesh achieve their dream by extending a hand as they start new lives in Canada.
This program is their chance to realize these dreams for themselves and us.
Now we need your help.
To learn how you can help or to donate contact Project Tibet Society at:
P.O. Box 217, Place du Parc 2 Station, Montreal QC, H2X 4A4
Tel: 514.487.0665 Email: ctcoffice@tibet.ca
Web: tibet.ca/projecttibetsociety
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