Expedite Afghan refugee processing
Sign on the House of Commons websitePetitioners ask the Government of Canada to urgently expedite refugee and humanitarian applications for at‑risk Afghans in Pakistan, implement temporary protection to prevent deportation during review, and increase processing capacity.
Why we would sign this petition
- Would reduce immediate risk to at‑risk Afghans in Pakistan by preventing deportation or return while claims are decided.
- Temporary protection would provide legal status and safety during lengthy reviews, lowering the chance of detention or deportation.
- Boosting processing capacity would cut dangerous backlogs and accelerate humanitarian resettlement to Canada.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Expanding urgent processing and protection requires resources and staff and could strain immigration capacity or delay other claims.
- Temporary protection risks becoming prolonged, postponing durable solutions and creating administrative complexity.
- A targeted Canadian response may be less effective than coordinated multilateral or bilateral efforts involving Pakistan and other partners.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghans who supported education, women’s rights, civil society, and community development face heightened risk of persecution because of their lawful and peaceful activities; Additionally, Afghans who belong to an ethnic minority and/or who are not Sunni Muslims face a well-founded risk of persecution if returned to Afghanistan and are at risk in Afghanistan of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and other forms of serious mistreatment on account of their ethnicity and/or religion; Many of these individuals and their families fled to Pakistan and are awaiting resettlement to Canada through humanitarian and refugee pathways; Afghan refugees in Pakistan increasingly face detention, loss of legal status, and deportation to Afghanistan, where they may face retaliation or imprisonment; and Canada has committed to protecting vulnerable Afghans. We, the undersigned, citizens or residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Urgently expedite refugee and humanitarian applications for at-risk Afghans in Pakistan; 2. Implement temporary protection measures to prevent deportation while applications are under review; and 3. Increase processing capacity for Afghan cases in Pakistan to reduce dangerous delays.
Government response
No government response is available yet.