Kathleen Weil, Quebec's Minister of Immigration indicated that Ottawa would accept 96% of applications for permanent residence made by the Haitians who were threatened with expulsion from June 1, following the suspension in December 2014, of the moratorium expulsion in force since 2004 and of 6 months delay granted by Ottawa for people concerned regularize their migratory situation.

Good news if one considers than usual only 45% of average requests are accepted. However, the Canadian Immigration Department refused to confirm or deny this information.

Richard Goldman, the Committee Coordinator for Assistance to Refugees welcomed the news, but is concerned for those who have not completed their application for residence before 1 June. According to Quebec, two weeks before the deadline, only 1,400 people had submitted their file on some 3,200 Haitians in Canada without status.

TB/ iciHaiti