Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Feb. 8th, 2022

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

It's working, thank you. No problem, it's coming through.

[Gideon Christian]

On November 10, 2020, I appeared before a sitting of this committee. I raised some concerns with regard to high study visa refusal rates for applicants from Africa, especially at the Canadian visa office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Madam Chair, I'm privileged to appear before this committee again, 10 months later, to report that things have changed—sadly, not for the better. In illustrating the growing difficulty faced by African students to secure study visas to study in Canada, I'm going to use Nigeria as a case study.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. It is among the top 10 source countries for Canada's study visas—specifically, number three after China and India. It is the only African country on the top 10 list. It also has the lowest Canada study visa approval rate on that list. For example, Korea and Japan are on the top 10 list. At a point in time when Korea and Japan had 95% and 97% study visa approval rates, Nigeria had a dismal 11.8% study visa approval rate.

For many years, scholars and academics of African descent in Canada, as well as stakeholders, have sought reasons for the high study visa refusal rate from Canadian visa offices in Africa. That answer seemed to to emerge in October 2021, when the IRCC Anti-Racism Employee Focus Groups report was released.

Among other points, that report noted the following: racism in IRCC had impacts on processing of immigration applications in seven countries; widespread reference to African countries as “dirty” by IRCC agents; and stereotyping of Nigerians as particularly corrupt and untrustworthy by IRCC agents. The report specifically noted the additional financial document requirements for applicants from Nigeria as part of the discriminatory rules reflected in the racism in IRCC. This fact was evident in a recent Federal Court judicial review case relating to a study visa application from Nigeria. I refer the committee to the case of Onyeka v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration).

Further evidence of the discriminatory policy relating to a study visa application can be seen by comparing two IRCC study visa programs: the student direct stream, SDS, and a similar program known as the Nigeria student express, NSE. The financial requirements under the SDS requires the applicant to show that they “have a Guaranteed Investment Certificate of $10,000” in Canadian dollars.

Compare this to the financial requirements in the Nigeria student express, which is a similar program by IRCC for study visa application in Nigeria. Under the Nigeria student express, the applicant is required to produce a bank statement showing the existence of “the equivalent of 30,000 Canadian dollars for at least 6 months”. The applicant from Nigeria is required to show proof of funds that are three times more than those of the applicant from the SDS countries, and yet, when this applicant overcomes this high burden of proof, most of the study visa applications from Nigeria are still refused.

Madam Chair, I recommend the IRCC Anti-Racism Employee Focus Groups report to this committee. I have submitted as my exhibit to the committee both the final copy as well as the draft copy of this report. That study will greatly help or assist this committee in contextualizing the real reason for the [Technical difficulty—Editor] high study visa refusal rates by IRCC visa offices in Africa. That reason, Madam Chair, is the elephant in the room. It is racism.

I know that my time is up, so I'm not going to spend more time. Also, I'm going to stop here and then welcome further questions on the issues I have raised, as well as other issues such as Chinook and the use of artificial intelligence technology by the IRCC visa offices and the impact these technologies are actually having on study visa applications.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Dr. Christian, for your opening remarks.

We will now proceed to His Excellency, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, High Commissioner for the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Dr. Rahman, you have five minutes for your opening remarks. You can begin, please.

We can't hear you.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Madam Chair, I think he can't hear because the message I got from him is that he's there only as an observer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Dr. Rahman, can you hear me? We are not able to hear you.

Madam Clerk, was the sound check done with him?

[The Clerk]

Please suspend.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay, we'll suspend the meeting for a minute and check with Mr. Rahman.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

High Commissioner, you will have five minutes for your opening remarks. Please start.

[His Excellency Khalilur Rahman, High Commissioner of the People's Republic of Bangladesh]

Thank you so much, honourable Chair, vice-chairs, members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, other witnesses, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my pleasure and honour to be able to speak before you. I will be brief because I have shared my business case with you, so I'm sure you have had some time to look at it. I'll just highlight certain aspects of it.

I was listening to my colleague from Nigeria, Mr. Christian.

This is the first time I'm appearing before the committee. I would like to say only a few things. Bangladesh has excellent relationship with Canada. We have no problem whatsoever with this great country. We are going to observe 50 years of diplomatic relations this February 14, on Valentine's Day, and we acknowledge Canada's contribution to our socio-economic development.

Bangladesh has graduated as a middle-income country, and as you know Bangladesh is now known as a development miracle. Our GDP is over $409 billion U.S. Currently, Bangladesh is the 37th-largest economy of the world and we expect to be 24th-largest economy by 2030.

The quality of life, the affordability and the overall socio-economic development in the country we have achieved have enabled our young students to study abroad in big numbers. I am very happy to inform you that Canada is the number one destination for our Bangladeshi students. Every year around 40,000 to 50,000 young students are eligible, qualify and have all the admission requirements to study at Canadian universities.

Unfortunately, for some reason the rejection rate of student visas is huge. Since the Canadian visa centre is not in Bangladesh, we really don't have the exact number, the rate. The distribution centre has not informed us, but as far as we are aware the number is very high and that's why we have been working with our Canadian colleagues to transfer the visa centre to Dhaka. But the fact remains that compared to the number of applications, compared to the rate of eligibility, the rate of acceptance by Canadian universities and the rate of student visa approvals are very low, and the numbers are not growing because of the systemic obstacles.

That's why I'm appearing before you, to ask you to kindly consider Bangladesh for inclusion in the student direct stream. As I have said, a huge number of students can afford this GIC of $10,000 Canadian. Not only that but one good thing for us, we are also very happy to inform you, is that parents in Bangladesh also think that Canada is the safest country in the world to which to send their children to study. That's why the number has overtaken those for the U.K. and the U.S.A. in recent years. But, unfortunately, because of the systemic restrictions and obstacles they are unable to come to study there.

One thing I'd like to highlight is that Canada has two main areas of support in association with development. These are women's economic empowerment and skills development for youth. As I said, 40,000 to 50,000 young students every year are willing and can afford to study in countries like Canada. They are not able to come because of this issue.

Most importantly we are also very pleased to see that our female students are outsmarting their male counterparts in grades and in quality of education in Bangladesh. That's why the majority of these 40,000 to 50,000 students are women. So basically, Canada is not helping women's economic empowerment, at least in this area. So, we would like Canada to open its doors so that these young talented females, capable [Technical difficulty—Editor] to study.

Lastly, I'd just like to—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, High Commissioner, but your time is up. You will get an opportunity to talk further in the rounds of questioning.

We will now proceed to our first round of questioning.

We started a bit late, but I will make sure that we complete this first round of questions of six minutes each.

We will start with Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Before I begin, I just want to confirm. Are we going to add 20 minutes to this panel so we have the full hour as we talked about?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

We will have this first round of questioning to complete, and a few members have to leave, so I'll try to adjust the panels so that we get an opportunity to hear from both panels.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay.

Dr. Rahman, thank you so much for being with us here today. Welcome to the committee and thank you for your testimony.

Last week I asked some witnesses about the student direct stream acceptance rates. Specifically I asked about how those related to some countries they mentioned, Senegal and Morocco, which are both French-speaking countries. Surprisingly, these experts didn't know a whole lot about SDS. It was disappointing to me, but hopefully your testimony today will help us to know more about it so we can craft some strong recommendations in this area.

The ties between Saskatchewan and Bangladesh are very strong, as you know. Our post-secondary schools, like the U of S and Sask Polytech really benefit from students coming from Bangladesh.

Your Excellency, you are familiar with the economy of Saskatchewan and the trade we do with Bangladesh. Can you please tell me the direct benefit that including Bangladesh in the student direct stream would have for my constituents in Saskatoon West?

[H.E. Khalilur Rahman]

I'm very happy to inform you that Bangladesh has very good relations with the province of Saskatchewan. The largest Canadian exports are from your province. Saskatchewan is the leading food exporter in Canada, and Bangladesh is one of the province's top 10 markets in the world with 2020 exports to the country alone valued at $650 million U.S., and for 2022 it's already, I think, the same, at $650 million U.S.

About 200 Bangladeshi Canadians live in Saskatoon West and they talk about it to their extended family members and neighbours in Bangladesh who want to come to Canada to study at U Sask. Bangladesh and Saskatchewan have robust economies. Saskatchewan can bring talent from Bangladesh and they can contribute to the Canadian economy and trade.

I know one person, Mr. Hasan Hamid, who studied [Technical difficulty—Editor] and is now working in the Global Institute for Food Security, GIFS. He was the bridge to concluding an MOU between GIFS and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council for research collaboration. We are working in five thematic areas. This kind of person, if they have the opportunity to come to study, not only in Saskatchewan but also in other western provinces—and we also have a lot of agricultural imports from other provinces—I think the Canadian economy can benefit a lot. I am thinking in the area, for example, of IT, where many students can come to Saskatchewan and other western provinces, other provinces where our students want to go.

As the honourable MP has pointed out, Bangladeshi students can contribute in a big way to the economy of Saskatchewan, as basically the province is an agricultural-based province and we have a huge sector, and these kinds of students can contribute for both Saskatchewan and Bangladesh if they get the opportunity.

This is not limited to Saskatchewan. I think it applies to other provinces. I think in the areas of health care, nursing and, as I already said, IT, if our students get the opportunity, they can have the experience of the Canadian education system and can contribute to both Canada and Bangladesh. Especially once again I'd like to focus on how that will help our women students a lot because really our women students feel safe studying in Canada. That's why, honourable MP and other members of the committee, I'd like you all to seriously kindly consider our request.

One thing I'd like to add is that we are from South Asia, and two of our brother countries, India and Pakistan, are already in the program. Bangladesh not only belongs to SAARC but belongs to the Commonwealth, and Canada is a big promoter of Commonwealth countries, so this support would be very helpful for Bangladesh and for Canada and that which exists in the co-operation between Bangladesh and Canada.

That is a big gift for us.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I know that you've been trying to engage with the Government of Canada on this. I understand that you met with officials from Global Affairs Canada in 2020 and in 2021, and you also met with the department of immigration during this period.

Can you comment on your conversations with the Canadian government and if any movement has been made to include Bangladesh in the student direct stream?

[H.E. Khalilur Rahman]

Yes, I can, because I have been talking to a number of politicians, including honourable members of Parliament.

In December when I came, I had approached [Technical difficulty—Editor] which brought me to the department of immigration. We have received a very positive response from them saying that our request has been considered in their examining committee. One thing I should quote, from a colleague from Global Affairs, is that he said that “this is something where we can assist easily”, and by including Bangladesh in the SDS, that will start the work between Bangladesh and Canada during my time as high commissioner.

The last letter we received was in December—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, High Commissioner. Your time is up.

Before we go to the next member, please make sure that you keep an eye on me. I will try to give you a one-minute warning, a 30-second warning and then a red card to show that the time is up.

Mr. Dhaliwal, please go ahead. You have six minutes for your round of questioning.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, recently I had the opportunity to meet with His Excellency Dr. Rahman. He brought up the SDS program.

In particular, I would like to ask Dr. Rahman about two things. How would it help the Bangladeshi students if we moved the office to Dhaka? The other one is about the SDS program.

[H.E. Khalilur Rahman]

That is a very good question. One thing, you know, is that it is not only about SDS. This will help Bangladeshis and Canada in a big way, because we are now operating between Dhaka and Toronto through direct flights. There is a joint working group between the two countries that was just set up.

The last meeting was yesterday, the seventh meeting, and there has been a lot of mobility, and I think not only for the SDS. The relocation of the visa centre from Singapore to Dhaka will be very helpful. At least we will come to know the reasons for the rejection of a visa despite the students having all the qualities needed to come to Canada. I think that in a big way it would be a huge boost for Bangladesh-Canada relations, because we really don't know why a visa is rejected for a student who has been accepted, who can afford the cost and who has met all the criteria for admission. Unfortunately, we are never told this. The applicant never knows why his or her application was rejected. That is a lack in transparency. I don't want to blame anybody. I think we can bring a lot of transparency by relocating the visa centre from Singapore to Dhaka.

One thing I'd like to say is that whenever we spoke with the Canadian [Technical difficulty—Editor] because of past [Technical difficulty—Editor]. But as you know, keeping an office in Singapore is more costly than it is in Dhaka, and Dhaka has all the facilities now. Dhaka can be the ideal centre for the Canadian visa centre. Bangladesh has a population of 170 million. There would be a lot of mobility with this direct agreement signed between the two countries, and I think our students will really have the information about why they are being rejected. We do not, being the [Technical difficulty—Editor] nation.... We have a wonderful relationship with Canada. Canada is known in Bangladesh as a fair and very non-discriminatory country, a safe country that is friendly and hospitable—

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Would the Bangladeshi students be willing to relocate or study in smaller towns in Canada? I see a lot of demand and a lot of opportunities in small and rural communities in Canada.

[H.E. Khalilur Rahman]

Yes, this is one thing we know about. We have a group of students who communicate with us. As we have mentioned in our business case, the process for visas...and the western provinces are receiving fewer Bangladeshi students. If you allowed Bangladeshi students in this stream, they would be willing to go to the farthest provinces—Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta—because those have flourishing energy sectors. In the province of Alberta, there is a lot of opportunity for collaboration in the energy sector.

I can guarantee that our students, especially the premier students, who want to pursue careers in the health care sciences, including nursing, would be very pleased to go there, so that they could also work as personal support workers.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Christian, you made a serious allegation that there is a discriminatory policy in IRCC. Could you tell us how the minister and the department should intervene to fix that situation?

[Gideon Christian]

I just want to state that I am not the one making the allegation. This is a fact. There was evidence from a report that was funded by IRCC itself, which is the IRCC Anti-Racism Employee Focus Groups report. That report established the fact that there is racism in IRCC and it cited examples. Nigeria is a country that was specifically cited as an example.

I may also refer you to page 2 of the draft copy—not the final copy—of the report. I cite that as part of the exhibit to my submission. One question there was, is there racism in IRCC? The simple answer given, throughout all groups, was a firm and clear yes, so I am not the one making the allegation. It's actually the facts from IRCC's own report.

Yes, we have contacted the minister about this. We are a group of Nigerian professors in Canadian universities. About 30 of them wrote a letter to the IRCC minister last November, raising concerns about the contents of this report.

A week ago, there was a clear denial from the minister's office, even though their report actually stated that was the case.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now proceed to Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm extremely grateful to the witnesses with us today on this very important study we all care about.

I'm going to move quickly, because like you, unfortunately I don't have a lot of time.

I've spoken with some immigration lawyers. I was informed that [Technical difficulty] the high refusal rates, much more proof is required when filing an application for a chance at being accepted, especially with respect to financial capacity documents.

The witnesses brought this up in their remarks, and that's why I'm coming back to it. For example, if someone is applying from the Philippines or Bangladesh, they need to provide bank statements for the last six months as a minimum requirement. On the other hand, if an applicant is from Spain, for example, they simply need to show proof of financial resources.

I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Doesn't this prove that we're dealing with systemic discrimination and even a form of racism against study permit applicants?

I would like you all to answer me, starting with Mr. Christian.