The Inland Protection Working Group provides a forum to exchange information, network and develop policy positions in the area of the protection of refugee claimants in Canada at all stages of the refugee process, including:
- access to asylum in Canada
- in-Canada refugee determination
- post-claim recourses
- family reunification
- detention
- removals
- the regularization of persons with precarious status in Canada.
Read more about the activities of each Working Group.
For the current year (2025), the Working Group priorities are:
- Access to the refugee claim process (includes STCA and other policy measures that block access to claiming refugee status)
- Asylum with Dignity Campaign (housing, legal aid, settlement services, reception centres, front-end processing)
- Public support for refugee claimants and migrants
And refugee claimant processing as an internal priority.
Resolutions
Consult the resolutions related to Inland Protection in the Resolutions Database.
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Working Group Co-chairs: Francesca (L) and Basel (R). |
Basel Abou Hamrah
Basel is a Settlement Practitioner specializing in LGBTQ+ complex cases at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN). His journey to Canada began in 2015 when he arrived as a refugee from Syria. He led the creation of the Rainbow Refuge Program, the first program of its kind in Edmonton to support LGBTQ+ newcomers community members with immigration and settlement. He is also a co-leader of the LGBTQ+ Newcomer Edmonton Group. Basel’s combination of personal and professional experience provides him with unique insight that has contributed to shaping the creation of very specialized LGBTQ+ newcomers services in Edmonton. As the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the Stonewall 2021 Newcomers and Refugees Award, he is a strong advocate for the needs of the LGBTQ+ newcomer community. Helping others be their authentic selves able to thrive in their new home.
Francesca Allodi-Ross
Francesca Allodi-Ross serves as Executive Director at Romero House, a community of welcome for refugee claimants in Toronto. Until 2022, Francesca was a lawyer, spending 10 years in community legal clinics providing free legal services to low-income Ontarians. Her primary focus was employment law. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from McGill University and a law degree (J.D.) from Osgoode Hall Law School. Francesca is a co-facilitator of the Yes! Toronto Jam, an annual retreat for social justice changemakers. Francesca loves dancing and singing and is grateful to live and work in a community that celebrates both.