Inasmuch Community Society
“Compelled by God’s love, we advocate for and empower refugee claimants by providing physical, emotional and community support as they seek to rebuild their lives in Canada.”
We Serve Refugee Claimants Seeking Asylum in Canada
Having fled because their lives were in imminent danger, refugee claimants leave behind their family, friends, careers, status and everything familiar. Most will never return home.
Seeking asylum in Canada, with just what they can carry, most have exhausted their resources to get here and have little to no money left, little or no knowledge of how to navigate the refugee/ immigration system, and speak little to no English.
Refugee Claimants need our help!
Who is a refugee claimant?
A person seeking refugee protection by claiming asylum at a Canadian port of entry is called a refugee claimant or asylum seeker.
The refugee claimant will not be considered a convention refugee until their case has been decided and they are granted permission to stay in Canada. If granted permission to stay in Canada, a refugee claimant’s immigration will change to being called a protected person, and can then apply for permanent residence and eventually citizenship in Canada.
The Canadian government defines a convention refugee as:
A person who, by reason of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion,
(a) is outside each of their countries of nationality and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to avail themself of the protection of each of those countries; or
(b) not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of their former habitual residence and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to return to that country.
Read below to learn more about the different types of Refugees and the challenges that Refugee Claimants are faced with today.