Manitoba refugee program about to run out of money

A program that helps refugee claimants in Manitoba wade through the legal paperwork required to come to and stay in Canada could be in jeopardy as of Wednesday.

Funding for the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council's paralegal program originally came from the provincial nominee program, but that funding ended in 2012 when the federal government took over and stopped funding programs for refugee claimants and privately-sponsored refugee claimants. The province did not continue funding that particular service.

Rita Chahal, executive director of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council (MIIC), said the paralegal program helps refugee claimants, many of whom do not speak English, make their claim.

"Not all refugee claimants are bogus," Chahal said.

"I think you have to think about this from a humanitarian perspective. In the pipeline for Manitoba Interfaith, there are approximately 3,000 … privately sponsored applications that have been in the system since back in 2006 and have not been reviewed. That translates to about 6,000 individuals who need to be reunited with their loved ones in Manitoba," Chahal said.

The program used to receive $250,000 from the Provincial Nominee Program, but that ended in 2012 when the federal government took over and subsequently stopped funding programs for privately sponsored refugee claimants.

• Manitoba angry about federal immigration changes

In the interim, the Winnipeg Foundation and other private donors have stepped forward to help, but that money has run out, Chahal said.

In June, the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise $200,000 to help pay for the program.

So far it has raised just $7,100.

Chahal said because the federal government now only pays for programs that assist government-sponsored refugees, her program can only appeal to the province for funding.

"We've had conversations with the provincial government on this. We know that the criterion for these programs does not fit the criterion at the federal level, so that's a conversation that we know isn't going to go anywhere," Chahal said.

"In other jurisdictions and other provinces, the provincial governments do support programs like this, like the refugee claimant program, and successfully."

The immigration council's board will meet next week to decide whether it will continue the program and run a deficit or scrap the program altogether.