{"id":467817,"date":"2026-02-11T10:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/467817\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T10:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:24:17","slug":"those-fleeing-venezuela-struggle-to-find-legal-pathway-to-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/467817\/","title":{"rendered":"Those fleeing Venezuela struggle to find legal pathway to Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Scarlet Estrada and Igor Mar\u00edn, Venezuelans living in Canada, have unsuccessfully sought to bring four family members to the country. Estrada’s father recently passed away, while her mother remains in Venezuela.EDUARDO LIMA\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Scarlet Estrada applied to sponsor her aging parents for immigration<\/a> to Canada in 2022, worried they weren\u2019t getting enough food and clean water as Venezuela\u2019s<\/a> economy crumbled.<\/p>\n

The urgency of the process hit home the following year, when her mother came to visit her and insisted on keeping the water used to boil beans as a separate meal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized how bad it was after seeing her,\u201d said Ms. Estrada, who lives in Oakville, Ont., and who moved to Canada around a decade and a half ago.<\/p>\n

More than three years after filing residency applications for her parents, she is still waiting. Her father has since died in Venezuela after struggling with health issues she believes were caused by poor nutrition and the country\u2019s beleaguered health care system. <\/p>\n

Her mother, a 72-year-old former teacher, successfully extended her visitor visa for a year in Canada to await her permanent residency approval. That extension has now expired. Ms. Estrada said she has tried to do things by the book \u2013 but also doesn\u2019t want to risk sending her mother back to Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s devastating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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People sell groceries at the Coche wholesale market in Caracas. Venezuela\u2019s displacement crisis \u2013 one of the world\u2019s most dire \u2013 has been fuelled by a mix of political repression and economic collapse.FEDERICO PARRA\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

For the past decade, Ottawa has assumed a muscular position on Venezuela\u2019s ruling government. But that hasn\u2019t always been matched by concrete support for those trying to flee, Ms. Estrada, other Venezuelan-Canadians and immigration experts say. Ms. Estrada and her husband have spent years trying to help friends and relatives find safety in Canada. But their loved ones are still in limbo.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada was planning any special measures to assist Venezuelans fleeing political uncertainty, department spokesperson Matthew Krupovich said there are a range of immigration pathways for eligible Venezuelans to come to Canada, including economic programs, and resettlement through referrals by the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Critics note that Canada briefly opened just one humanitarian stream tailored to Venezuelans fleeing Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s rule. Unlike Ottawa\u2019s response to crises in countries like Ukraine, for example, where around 300,000 people came here on special temporary residency permits, fewer than 2,200 Venezuelans reached Canada through a now-shuttered family reunification program.<\/p>\n

In January, the U.S. launched a military operation to capture Mr. Maduro, after accusing him of \u201cnarco-terrorism and drug trafficking.\u201d Responding to the capture, the Canadian government said it \u201cwelcomed the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.\u201d <\/p>\n

But the country\u2019s transition to democracy is far from guaranteed \u2013 raising questions about Canada\u2019s role in supporting Venezuelans in the aftermath of Mr. Maduro\u2019s removal from office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncertainty and a lot of confusion,\u201d Ms. Estrada said. \u201cFor regular citizens, there\u2019s not really any significant changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Orlando Viera-Blanco in Ottawa in February, 2020.Justin Tang\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Orlando Viera-Blanco, the Venezuelan opposition\u2019s envoy to Canada, says he lobbied Ottawa many times to tailor a comprehensive program to welcome many more of his compatriots while working as a diplomat from 2019 to 2024. <\/p>\n

But his birth country\u2019s situation confounds people because its humanitarian challenges are not the result of a war or natural disaster, the calamities that typically drive such efforts, according to Mr. Viera-Blanco, who helped roughly a thousand other Venezuelans immigrate to Canada in recent years. Instead, Venezuela\u2019s displacement crisis \u2013 one of the world\u2019s most dire \u2013 has been fuelled by a mix of political repression and economic collapse.<\/p>\n

Since 2017, Ottawa has maintained sanctions against Venezuelan officials over human rights concerns, and in January, 2019, Ottawa declared that it did not recognize Mr. Maduro as the legitimate President of Venezuela and shuttered its diplomatic presence in the country.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s mounting humanitarian crisis was also recognized through deportation and travel measures. The Canada Border Services Agency imposed a temporary deferral of removals on the country, meaning most deportations of Venezuelans could be postponed. Canada has also eased travel for Venezuelans by recognizing expired passports.<\/p>\n

But to critics, Canada\u2019s efforts to resettle Venezuelans have fallen short.<\/p>\n

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Families of political prisoners gather outside of the Attorney General\u2019s offices as they wait for the release of their loved ones in Caracas. The Venezuelan government is still refusing to release Mr. Mar\u00edn\u2019s brother, Lieutenant Colonel Igbert Mar\u00edn Chaparro.THE NEW YORK TIMES\/The New York Times<\/p>\n

In late 2023, the federal government created a special humanitarian program allowing some Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans who already had family in Canada to travel here and gain permanent residency. It was part of a commitment to welcome 15,000 migrants from the Americas to support \u201csafe, orderly, and regular migration.\u201d <\/p>\n

Around 10,500 people were admitted through the program before it shuttered. Of these 2,100 were Venezuelans, IRCC data shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very, very skimpy in relation to the actual needs from the region,\u201d said Sharry Aiken, a professor at Queen\u2019s University Faculty of Law.<\/p>\n

Gloria Carrasquero, a lawyer with Toronto-area legal clinic the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, provided guidance to Venezuelans who sought to access the program. But its requirements, which included a criminal record check, made it impossible for most people given the difficulties in obtaining official documentation from the Venezuelan government, she said.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Ottawa is considering any special measures tailored to Venezuelans, IRCC spokesperson Mr. Krupovich said Canada cannot speculate on future policy decisions but \u201cstands by the Venezuelan people\u2019s sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A woman demonstrates with a Venezuelan flag to demand the release of political prisoners outside a prison in Caracas.JUAN BARRETO\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ms. Estrada said even if their home country is on the road to democracy, she and her husband, Igor Mar\u00edn, believe the journey will be bumpy.<\/p>\n

Despite Mr. Maduro\u2019s removal, the prevailing Venezuelan government is still refusing to release Mr. Mar\u00edn\u2019s brother, political prisoner Lieutenant Colonel Igbert Mar\u00edn Chaparro, even though he has completed his sentence. He was jailed over seven years ago and accused of instigating rebellion after he raised concerns about lack of adequate food and supplies for his troops, Mr. Mar\u00edn said.<\/p>\n

Mr. Mar\u00edn and Ms. Estrada fear the former military officer will still be a target for retaliation by government supporters upon his release \u2013 meaning he will still need refugee protection.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Canada\u2019s Immigration and Refugee Board \u2013 the independent tribunal tasked with adjudicating refugee applications \u2013 had 2,977 claims from Venezuelans pending as of the end of last September, according to the latest data available.<\/p>\n

Acceptance rates for Venezuelan claimants have declined by around 20 per cent since 2023, the tribunal data show. That drop could reflect the increasingly difficult path for Venezuelans with grounds for a refugee claim to reach Canada, Prof. Aiken said.<\/p>\n

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Venezuelan riot police pass by a demonstration to demand the release of political prisoners.JUAN BARRETO\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Since 2023, when Canada\u2019s refugee pact with the United States was expanded to cover the entire border, most Venezuelans seeking to claim asylum in Canada by land would be turned back to apply for safety in the U.S. instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who actually are getting to Canada now may not be the people at most risk,\u201d Prof. Aiken said. \u201cMany people are fleeing dire living conditions that are horrendous, but don\u2019t qualify them for [refugee] protection.\u201d <\/p>\n

(To be successful, refugee claimants must show they would be persecuted in their home country on one of five grounds: their race, religion, nationality, their membership in a particular social group, or their political opinion.)<\/p>\n

A Caracas-based mother of three interviewed by The Globe and Mail said that in 2016, as violence and repression in Venezuela were intensifying, her family became determined to send her youngest son abroad knowing he didn\u2019t qualify as a refugee since he was not directly being targeted by Mr. Maduro\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

She said in a recent phone interview the family made this decision after their middle son and his girlfriend narrowly escaped being kidnapped outside their Caracas apartment and both were hit in the leg with single gunshot wounds as they fled. <\/p>\n

The family cobbled together a semester\u2019s worth of tuition for the youngest son to attend a small college in Canada on a student visa beginning in 2017. <\/p>\n

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A vendor counts Venezuelan bolivar banknotes at the Coche wholesale market in Caracas.FEDERICO PARRA\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

He said he arrived with $700 to his name, graduated college while working part time, then became a permanent resident and eventually a citizen. He now has a wife and a well-paying job. <\/p>\n

The Globe is not naming the woman or the young man who escaped to Canada because they fear publishing their names could bring recrimination against her and other family members still living in Caracas.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Globe, the son said he graduated high school in Venezuela with 100 classmates, 90 of whom fled the country. Many went to Colombia, while others went to the United States or Spain.<\/p>\n

Canada doesn\u2019t even register as a destination, he said, because everyone knows the door is closed.<\/p>\n

Given the complexities of Venezuela\u2019s humanitarian crisis, Calgary-based immigration and refugee lawyer Bjorna Shkurti said a model similar to Canada\u2019s Ukraine response \u2013 issuing temporary visas for emergency travel \u2013 could work well for Venezuela should the country\u2019s situation fail to stabilize.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat opened up a pathway for individuals that would have otherwise been stuck,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms. Estrada said she wants to see Canada live up to its reputation as a human rights champion. Despite repeated e-mails to her MP, Ms. Estrada says she still doesn\u2019t know how much longer her mother\u2019s permanent residency application will take to process.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tend to forget these are humans and families,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all bleed red.\u201d<\/p>\n

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EDUARDO LIMA\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Scarlet Estrada and Igor Mar\u00edn, Venezuelans living in Canada, have unsuccessfully sought to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,109685,44,1008],"class_list":["post-467817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-longread","tag-news","tag-pleasemod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}