Canada will allow people in Sudan who have relatives in Canada to reunite with their families through a new humanitarian pathway as the violent conflict continues, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Thursday.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, Miller said that children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents and siblings of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be eligible for the new program. That Canadian family connection must be able to financially support their relative arriving from Sudan “and help them build their new life in Canada,” the statement said.
“This humanitarian pathway will help reunite loved ones and save lives,” Miller said.
Applicants must also complete the typical security and biometric screening used for visa applicants, such as fingerprinting.
Sudan has been mired in a bloody conflict since mid-April, when tensions between the head of the military and a rival paramilitary force erupted and sparked intense firefights, mostly in the capital of Khartoum.
More than 12,000 people have been killed, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict and Event Data Project, while the United Nations says nearly 6.8 million have been forced to flee their homes.
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