The Role Of Refugee Resettlement In Canada

Refugees have been the spotlight in many countries in the past few years. In Canada, refugees where mainly sourced from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Congo (Puzic 5). The difference between refugees and immigrants is “refugees are people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. They are not able to return home” (Government of Canada 1), but immigrants are people who chose to leave their country and settle in another for their own reasons. A lot of people do hate the fact that refugees have been the main focus recently, and how “they have been treated better” than our own people, but that does not beat the fact that there are many advantages that come from the refugees. Refugees bring the advantages of increasing the country’s population, boosting the country’s economy, and increasing the country’s diversity.

Mental health is a person’s emotional and physiological well-being; some immigrants come to the country hoping for an easier and happier life, however, this is not always the case. As stated previously in lecture, assimilating to a new language, new food, and different cultural norms can be mentally draining. Experiences like exposure to war, death of loved ones, violence, oppression, and torture will likely make one mentally unstable and further complicates the resettlement process. The process of assimilating into a new cultural is mentally taxing to the soul, you are having to throw away all that you know and create a facade in order to be accepted. In my opinion, refugees and immigrants display poor mental health on arrival due to a combination

Canada is a country known for its humanitarian efforts and generous compassion for those in other countries who need help. The biggest humanitarian effort in modern history has arisen in Syria and Iraq. Millions of people are displaced and are driven out of their warzone of a country. With an oppressive government and dozens of terrorist’s groups destroying the country, these people have no choice but to run to safety. That safety just so happens to be us; Countries who have been blessed with wealth and proper government, that gives us the opportunity to help those in need.

Imagine fleeing your home with little more than the clothes on your back and what very few items you can carry. You are running for your life, forced to leave your house, job, school, car, belongings and memories behind. This is the reality for over 4 million Syrian refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries for safety from the war that has ravaged their nation for more than five years. Once they cross these borders, empty handed and in a foreign land, how do they survive? What is the next step for these people? Where do they go? Who do they turn to for help? Who can they trust?

On the 30th of June 2012, the government of Canada had implemented cuts to the Interin Federal Health; (IFH), which is the health insurance program for refugees in Canada. The refugees were given minimal health coverage until their refugee status was accepted as truth, thus being granted provincial coverage as every Canadian is given. Up till this change Ottawa had covered the cost of drugs, and medical care for refugee claimants until their claims had been accepted as truth. Since the beginning of Canada, immigration has played a crucial part in the growth of the economy, and Canada in general. Yet the health and social benefits they receive have become increasingly restricted. To slash health aid for individuals escaping their native countries

Imagine this. You’re rapidly fleeing your home country, sprinting as your life depended on it, which it did. The memories of the terrible war, still pounding in your head. The piercing roar of the gunshots. The gruesome red blood, glistening in the sunlight. You need to go, go to a free country, a land where everything is safe and sound, and not demolished like your home. You need to go, you need to leave Syria.

Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) determines whether or not someone is eligible to immigrate to Canada. There are 3 different sections of the policy, but in general, it factors in nationality, age, language ability, family members, education, work experience, and income. Within the different areas of the immigration policy, which are economic, family reunification, and refugee, there are more specific things looked at in applicants. In the economic area, applicants are rewarded points based on their level of education, ability to speak English and/or French, income, and previous work experience. The family reunification section includes spouses and children joining family members that are already living in Canada, or same-sex couples that are not legally married if there are restrictions in the country they are coming from. These immigrants have to provide proof and demonstrate that they are related to, married to, or in a committed relationship with the person they claim to be joining. A smaller portion of the immigrants coming to Canada are considered to be refugees. Refugees must be part of a humanitarian resettlement program, which is a Canadian program that helps people seeking protection outside of Canada with the help of international partners, or claim for asylum protection, which is where Canada provides protection for those who would be in danger if they returned to their own country.

Refugees are people who crossed borders, fleeing due to problems related to race religion and nationality. While fleeing, refugees unknowingly carry many diseases due to lack of mental help and attention. When coming to a new country, refugees have no self-esteem to get jobs due to the language barrier. Refugees who flee their country and sacrifice everything are confident and strong willed with all the obstacles that come through their journey to start a new life. The long-term effects that a refugee experiences due to forced migration is Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Forced migration has a negative mental and physical affect on refugees.

First, they have high physical health need as a result of conditions such as poverty and abuse that may existed in their origin country or the difficulties they face during their journey from their home country. They are at risk of ill-health and need special health care when they reach their destination country and through resettlement. On the other hand, as they may be carry contagious disease they should be screened and quarantined to guarantee the health of host population (Lawrence & Kearns, 2005; Grove & Zwi, 2006). Moreover, it has proved by many studies that mental health problems are their main health concern. Most of them experienced violence, war, and torture in their home country before migration. Before reaching to the host country they were struggling to survive and they experience high level of stress and anxiety during resettlement. (Lawrence & Kearns,

For various reasons, it may become necessary to leave one's home country. Many people are attracted to Canada. Some people do not leave their countries because of choice, but because of unjust persecution. Such persons are referred to as refugees. There exists an administrative body that addresses the needs and rights of refugees seeking relocation and settlement in Canada; this administrative body is called the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Refugees very often are in desperate situations that called for cultural sensitivity and processing through legal avenues. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada handles these duties. This paper will briefly examine this board, its decision-making process, and evaluate the efficacy of the board.

The Canadian refugee plan that Trudeau had promised has been a controversial one. Would it really endanger Canadian citizens if 25,000 refugees are let into Canada. Most Canadians do not oppose trudeau’s plan, however more than 70% of Canadians think that his aim is too high. The current reality is that more than 25,000 Syrian refugees have already been brought into Canada. In fact as of April 3rd 2015 the number of Syrian refugees that have been brought into Canada since november 4th 2015 is 26,213. So the argument that 25,000 is too high isn’t valid right now, because more than 25,000 have already came in and most Canadians didn’t even notice. Although the Canadian public and government don’t have the same opinion on letting refugees in the

Economic instability, apart from causing stress about finances in general, creates a negative influence in the immigrant's life because of the lost of social interaction that is associated with the workspace, leaving the immigrant feeling alone and depressed (Kennedy 446). Economic hardships are also related to mental health because of it's connection to unattainability of mental health support. A study conducted by affiliates of Geneva University Hospitals Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry found that psychiatrists they observed believed immigrants who did not receive the mental health they needed also lacked the secure housing conditions and employment (bartlomei 3). If the issue of providing mental health support were addressed, consequently the issues of economic misfortunes would be analyzed as well, and to some degree, lessened. Therefore, immigrants should be provided mental health support they need so as to address the underlying issues related with low accessibility, such as income instability. In the same way mental health and accessibility is correlated to economic insecurity of immigrant families, mental illness is also correlated directly to the economy of the host nation. Mental illness is a prominent factor in immigrant dropouts lives, in fact a study conducted by Cathrine Hjorth, Line Bilgrav, Louise

According to SIM, various social determinants of health can dictate the presentation and severity of the patient’s illness. The main challenge in delivering effective care of refugee mental health is the complexity and the multi-factorial nature of their suffering. A refugee is identified as someone who was forced to flee his or her country due to traumatic factors such as war, persecution, violence and racism (Moussalli M., 1992). The exposure to these factors instills an overwhelming feeling of fear, submissiveness and vulnerability. As a result, refugees can be at a higher risk of developing debilitating psychological conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety (McKenzie et al., 2010). On the other hand,

America needs to work to remove the stereotype associated with refugees in order to get them the help they need and deserve. According to Psychology Today, in the 21st century, the number of terrorism related deaths that refugees were responsible for is 0. Moreover, research shows that highly

There have been correlations on the health of refugee arrivals and other migrants from developing countries. Having transitioned from camps for eighteen months, the family is at risk of developing or already having infectious diseases. The youngest child in the family being born on camp and in such harsh conditions, it is not rare that the child could have been in contact with a communicable disease. As a result of the social exclusion the family is facing, they are unable to be provided with efficient use of the heath resources that are available to other members of the community. Due to the stressful process of language and social difficulties, research suggests that whilst many migrants arrive in Australia with good health, their mental health tends to deteriorate after the first twelve months in the country (Anikeeva, Peng, Hiller, Roder & Han 2010). In Australia, approximately 93% of the population born overseas have been recorded as suicide deaths (Australia Bureau of Statistics (2012). Like any other refugee family, the Hakimi family will also have to overcome the health challenges they will face whilst settling into a new