Canada’s special immigration measures for Gaza discriminate against anyone who is not yet a permanent resident or citizen. One such person, whose desperate wife and children must join him in Canada, is Mohammed Alsousi, a Palestinian refugee claimant who came to Canada in August 2022. Mohammed’s wife and children were forced to flee their bombed out home, suffered additional bombing-related injuries in a so-called “safe” area, and now struggle with diseases and severe hunger in an open air, non-winterized tent in the perilously over-crowded Rafah. The threat of death is all around them – from continued bombardment to water-borne viruses to starvation – yet they are ineligible for temporary resident permits because Mohammed’s status as a refugee claimant does not qualify him as an “anchor relative."
Forcing Mohammed’s family to endure daily risk to life and limb because of his status in Canada is grossly unfair and criminally negligent, especially when the Canadian government has acknowledged repeatedly that conditions in Gaza are dire and, in the words of Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, “Gaza is one of the worst places to live on Earth right now.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller has promised this program would be flexible and adapt to changing information and circumstances. The program’s eligibility definition of an “anchor relative” must be expanded to include Palestinians here in Canada as refugee claimants, students, temporary residents and those on work permits. Notably, the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who came to Canada did not require an anchor relative. From January to September 2023, the Immigration and Refugee Board reported that there were 252 refugee claims accepted from Palestinians, with an additional 70 cases yet to be decided. Mohammed’s is one of the 70.
Unfortunately, his refugee claim – which he originally hoped to submit in January, 2023 – has still not been heard due to the incompetence of former legal counsel, forcing Mohammed to prepare his own case. On December 5, the Immigration and Refugee Board deemed Mohammed's file worthy of consideration under the category of “less complex claims,” meaning the case is solid and could be decided without a hearing. While that is a positive step, it is not enough to help his family.
It is clear that Mohammed is here to stay as an anchor relative: he works full time on a night shift; he has a place to live and pays his taxes; his refugee protection claimant document does not expire until 2027; his renewable open work permit is good until 2025; and he has the ability to financially support his family. The administrative matter of his official status in Canada should not determine whether he can save his wife and children. Making him wait for the almost certain refugee status that will be recognized by Canada, and then having to endure what is often a years-long delay for the processing of permanent residence applications before he can be viewed as worthy enough to be an “anchor relative” to save his family from a war zone – where every day over 100 Palestinians are killed by bombs and the United Nations predicts more will die from disease and starvation – is inhumane.
Mohammed’s wife is Kholod Al-Aklook, who holds a bachelor degree in commerce. They are the parents of six children, grandparents to one. Kholod is also a talented artist whose work beautifully captures the essence of love, family, nature and, most importantly, home.
Their daughter Yara writes about the frustrating forced removals from the north to the south and the fact that wherever they went, there was no way to find safety. "Like hundreds of thousands of people we had to evacuate from Gaza City to the South (Rafah) in the first week of the war, thinking it was safe. We did not know that we will never see our home ever again. We felt hesitant and reserved about staying at other people's houses, having only a few pieces of clothing and belongings we could manage to carry. On the 29th of October, an Israeli air strike bombed a house right next to the house where we were staying in Rafah. I was injured along with my brother and sister as well; we were 60 people in that house, and the fact that we all survived is a miracle."
Just minutes after the Rafah bombing, Agence France-Presse took a picture of a blood-stained Yara holding her baby son Khaled (with her mother and brother behind them), an image that went viral on multiple news agencies and channels.
While Yara and her baby were thankfully able to get out to Egypt (her husband is Egyptian), her mother and five brothers and sisters remain in a flimsy tent in Rafah, with harsh conditions and barely anything to eat.
As we hear reports of the loved ones of Canadians being killed while Canada sits on their applications, Mohammed's is yet another family who cannot wait for the immigration bureaucracy to take years to resolve the matter of whether he can be an anchor relative.
Mohammed, as well as all Palestinian refugees and refugee claimants in Canada, must have that recognition now so they can save their families. Minister Miller has the capacity and discretion to be flexible, as he has stated on countless occasions. It’s time to expand the eligibility of who is an anchor relative for the purposes of Canada’s special immigration measures for Gaza and allow Mohammed to bring his family to Canada for their safety and protection.
