Asylum Seeker

[Vergilius]

Hello.
I am an asylum seeker in Moldova. I've been waiting for 9 months to be invited for an interview. I have Russian citizenship (born in Tajikistan, Gorno-Badakhshan). I chose Moldova spontaneously, as I had to urgently leave the country. All attempts to get interviews are unsuccessful, Russian citizens are always denied. Can I apply to Canada as an asylum seeker but not a refugee? Or what human rights organization can I contact to invite me here for an interview? Or maybe apply for a visa

 

[scylla]

Hello.
I am an asylum seeker in Moldova. I've been waiting for 9 months to be invited for an interview. I have Russian citizenship (born in Tajikistan, Gorno-Badakhshan). I chose Moldova spontaneously, as I had to urgently leave the country. All attempts to get interviews are unsuccessful, Russian citizens are always denied. Can I apply to Canada as an asylum seeker but not a refugee? Or what human rights organization can I contact to invite me here for an interview? Or maybe apply for a visa

There's no way to apply to Canada for asylum directly yourself from Moldova. You need a sponsor. In many cases in order to be sponsored, you also either need to be recognized as a refugee by UNHCR or by the government of the country where you are currently living (in this case Moldova).

If you have close friends or family in Canada, then one option would be to be sponsored through the Group of Five program: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio.../private-sponsorship-program/groups-five.html

Similar to the above, there is also a sponsorship program through a community organization in Canada, if you happen to have any connections in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...e-sponsorship-program/community-sponsors.html

Another option would be to look for an organizational sponsor in Canada through the SAH (sponsorship agreement holder) program. This would involve finding a SAH who is willing to sponsor you. You can find a list of SAHs here. It tends to be challenging to find SAHs who are accepting sponsorships. But you can absolutely try. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...p-program/agreement-holders/holders-list.html

The last option would be to get a TRV (tourist visa to Canada), fly to Canada, and then claim asylum here when you arrive. However given you've claimed refugee status in Moldova, the chances of a TRV being approved are extremely low.

 

[Vergilius]

There's no way to apply to Canada for asylum directly yourself from Moldova. You need a sponsor. In many cases in order to be sponsored, you also either need to be recognized as a refugee by UNHCR or by the government of the country where you are currently living (in this case Moldova).

If you have close friends or family in Canada, then one option would be to be sponsored through the Group of Five program: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio.../private-sponsorship-program/groups-five.html

Similar to the above, there is also a sponsorship program through a community organization in Canada, if you happen to have any connections in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...e-sponsorship-program/community-sponsors.html

Another option would be to look for an organizational sponsor in Canada through the SAH (sponsorship agreement holder) program. This would involve finding a SAH who is willing to sponsor you. You can find a list of SAHs here. It tends to be challenging to find SAHs who are accepting sponsorships. But you can absolutely try. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...p-program/agreement-holders/holders-list.html

The last option would be to get a TRV (tourist visa to Canada), fly to Canada, and then claim asylum here when you arrive. However given you've claimed refugee status in Moldova, the chances of a TRV being approved are extremely low.

I have sponsors (organization) and relatives who have been living there for a long time. But there is no way I can get refugee status, because I am not invited for an interview. They simply refuse referring to the situation in Ukraine. You wrote "in many cases", are there cases where simply seeking asylum is sufficient? I can’t get a status here, but I don’t want to illegally stop the border

 

[scylla]

I have sponsors (organization) and relatives who have been living there for a long time. But there is no way I can get refugee status, because I am not invited for an interview. They simply refuse referring to the situation in Ukraine. You wrote "in many cases", are there cases where simply seeking asylum is sufficient? I can’t get a status here, but I don’t want to legally stop the border

In order for you to be sponsored through either the Group of Five program or through the Community Sponsors program, you must meet this requirement:


Be recognized as refugees by either

• the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or
• the government of the country (foreign state) where the refugee lives

The principal applicant MUST already have refugee status. Having refugee status means that an authorized body (the UNHCR or foreign state) has recognized the principal applicant as a refugee.


If you don't meet one of these requirements, then these two sponsorship programs are not an option for you. In that case your only option would be to be sponsored through the SAH - Sponsorship Agreement Holders program. This means you would need to find an organization on the SAH list that is willing to sponsor you.

 

[Vergilius]

In order for you to be sponsored through either the Group of Five program or through the Community Sponsors program, you must meet this requirement:


Be recognized as refugees by either

• the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or
• the government of the country (foreign state) where the refugee lives

The principal applicant MUST already have refugee status. Having refugee status means that an authorized body (the UNHCR or foreign state) has recognized the principal applicant as a refugee.


If you don't meet one of these requirements, then these two sponsorship programs are not an option for you. In that case your only option would be to be sponsored through the SAH - Sponsorship Agreement Holders program. This means you would need to find an organization on the SAH list that is willing to sponsor you.

Got it, thanks for the feedback!