With almost five million temporary permits expected to expire over the next year, the feds expect them to leave voluntarily.
Recommended Videos
So said Immigration Minister Marc Miller to the Commons immigration committee when confronted with that number by Conservative MP Tom Kmiec, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“There are many ways that people leave the country,” said Miller. “The vast majority leave voluntarily. That is what is expected.”
Kmiec countered: “Your department tabled documents with Parliament that showed 4.9 million visas are going to expire between September 2024 and December 2025. How will we know how many of those actually wind up leaving?”
Miller said the feds would “monitor that carefully. There are many measures within our department to monitor these things,” including “the Canada Border Services Agency to investigate and prosecute those who violate immigration laws.”
Kmiec then asked how many of the expiring permits belonging to 766,000 foreign students would leave.
“Are you saying 100% are expected to leave or are you going to send the Canada Border Services Agency to chase all 766,000?” asked Kmiec.
Miller replied no and added: “Some people actually get renewals. Some people get postgraduate work permits.”
The Department of Immigration counted 1,073,435 foreign students in Canada as of last May 3.
“There are an increasing number of students making asylum claims, I think with very little hope,” said Miller. “Whether you like it or not they are entitled to due process in this country. I don’t think you would purport to deny it to them.”
The immigration department in a April 24 briefing note said the number of undocumented foreigners in Canada was as high as half a million.
“(Trudeau’s) own published documents show there are 4.9 million people here temporarily that are supposed to leave by Dec. 31 of next year, ” said Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre in Ottawa.
“We asked what the plan was to track their departure and (on Monday Trudeau’s) immigration minister said ‘We’re just going to take people at their word.’ He admits two ISIS terrorists allowed into our country. What is the plan to protect our security and reinstate sovereignty over who is in our country?”