One of the advantages here is that they don't operate in isolation. All organizations in Canada operate as a consortium. As for the various advocacy actions and the issues they work on, they don't work in isolation, but as a consortium, since each organization has its own expertise and contributes its know-how to an advocacy action. For example, Equitas focuses on education, while Amnesty International handles petitions, and there are other organizations. There is a harmonization framework: A working group helps align efforts and approaches, which often yields positive results related to the issues.
Here, the obstacles for defenders in exile—this is the first point I mentioned—include, in particular, the lack of recognition of their professional experience on the ground, which is not taken into account because they have worked in conflict zones.
The second constraint they face is in the academic sphere. They arrive with master's and doctoral degrees, but the administrative process for recognizing those degrees is slow. The results are not there.
Another barrier to mention is that arriving in a new setting is a return to square one and requires building a new professional network—that is, social or community relationships. When I arrived, I started by volunteering with community organizations. Later, I joined human rights organizations, such as the Welcome Collective or those focused on justice for immigrants that advocate for the rights of asylum seekers.
So there are quite a few administrative and academic obstacles that require readjustment. This often hinders the work of defenders in exile.