ASYLUM QUESTION (VENEZUELA)

[jenniferfar]

Hello Everyone.

I am currently in Canada with my husband and my 22 month old daughter. We came to help my aunt with her grieve and also because the situation in Venezuela. We are here as tourist but we have several police reports to prove that our lives in Venezuela were in danger (death threats, among others). We are thinking to claim asylum in Canada and become protected persons for the well-being of my daughter. However, my husband has Colombian passport but I don't. Am I still elegible? Thank you so much for helping me.

 

[gavendano]

If you are asking about the eligibility to make a refugee claim in Canada the factors that CIC will consider are the following:

Your refugee claim may not be eligible for referral to the IRB if:

• You have been recognized as a Convention refugee by another country to which you can return;
• You have already been granted protected person status in Canada;
• You arrived via the Canada-United States border;
• You are not admissible to Canada on security grounds, or because of criminal activity or human rights violations;
• You have been convicted of a serious crime;
• You made a previous refugee claim that was found to be ineligible for referral to the IRB;
• You made a previous refugee claim that was rejected by the IRB; or
• You abandoned or withdrew a previous refugee claim.

A different question is if the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) will accept your claim and grant you status of protected person, that is a much more complex decision. You will have to think about your story and how you will present it, IRB will probably ask why you didn't go Colombia to seek refugee if your husband is a Colombian citizen.

The best way to do it would be to consult with an immigration lawyer who will help determine if you have a case strong enough to claim protected person status in Canada. He or she will also help you put together the story, organize your evidence and represent you at the refugee hearing, which could maximize your chances of getting accepted.

The better you prepare your claim, the better chances you have!

You can obtain more information from the IRB webpage: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Pages/default.aspx