Create Afghan minority resettlement program
Petitioners ask the Immigration Minister to create a special resettlement program for persecuted Sikh and Hindu minorities and the Foreign Affairs Minister to press Afghan authorities to protect them. The government responds that an Afghanistan Resettlement Initiative resettled over 60,000 Afghans and eligible Afghans may still be admitted under regular refugee programs.
Why we would sign this petition
- Creates a direct legal pathway to protect Sikh and Hindu minorities at risk, speeding resettlement for people the petitioners say face persecution.
- Uses existing immigration powers and private sponsors already willing to support arrivals, enabling faster deployment than creating new legislation.
- Adds diplomatic advocacy by asking the Foreign Affairs Minister to raise protection with Afghan counterparts, which could improve on-the-ground safety.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Canada already ran an Afghanistan Resettlement Initiative and special intake is closed; a new program may duplicate past efforts or be unnecessary.
- Targeting specific religious groups may divert limited resettlement capacity from other vulnerable Afghans or refugees from other crises.
- Diplomatic pressure may have limited effect and security or logistical barriers could prevent safe departures regardless of a program.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas at one time, Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but today less than five thousand remain; and, Whereas a recent bombing in early July killed leaders from both communities in Afghanistan, and demonstrates their ongoing vulnerabilities, especially since these leaders were on their way to meet the president; and, Whereas the Minister of Immigration is already empowered by legislation to allow vulnerable minorities to come to Canada as privately sponsored refugees, directly from the country where they face persecution; and, Whereas the Sikh and Hindu communities are ready to sponsor Afghan minority refugees; Therefore we, the undersigned, urge the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to use the powers granted to him to create a special program to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan. And further, we urge the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise the persecution faced by this community with her Afghan counterpart and to strongly advocate for more to be done to protect them.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Signed by Peter Fragiskatos After the fall of Kabul in 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada responded with a suite of special initiatives called the Afghanistan Resettlement Initiative. Since that time, over 60 000 Afghans have arrived in Canada under the Afghanistan Resettlement Initiative. The Afghanistan Resettlement Initiative was open to all eligible Afghans and included assisted departures, priority processing, and in-Canada temporary resident measures, as well as several special programs and measures to protect some of the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan and Afghans in third countries. The initiative focused on people from vulnerable groups, including women leaders, LGBTQI+ people, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of religious and ethnic minorities including Sikhs, Hindus, and Hazaras. The response also leveraged Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugees and Private Sponsorship of Refugees programs. Application intake for the Afghan special measures has closed. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s focus is on processing the remaining eligible applications received, as well as ensuring that Afghans welcomed to Canada receive settlement services to support their integration. Canada continues to accept eligible Afghans for resettlement through its regular refugee Resettlement Program, in keeping with the admissions targets set out in the 2026?2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Afghans who meet program eligibility requirements can continue to be resettled under Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugees and Private Sponsorship of Refugees programs. Afghans may also choose to apply to come to Canada through any other Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada immigration program. More information on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s programs is available at these links: Government-Assisted Refugees Program Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program Groups of five or more–Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program Live in Canada permanently