Refugees resettled to Canada must pay for their medical exam and their travel to Canada. Since most refugees of course can’t afford these expenses, Canada offers them a loan. As a result, refugee families start their new life in Canada with a debt of up to $10,000. They must repay this loan with interest.
The burden of the transportation loans is having a painful impact on thousands of refugees and on Canadian society. It undermines refugees’ ability to integrate and to contribute to their full potential in their new home. Refugee youth are forced to work long hours while going to school, or even postpone further education, because of the need to pay back the debt.
The cost to the federal government of absorbing the medical and transportation expenses would be insignificant in terms of the overall budget. It would also be a good investment as it would enable refugees to integrate much more quickly and contribute to the economy.
Hidden Costs is part of a national campaign to have the Canadian government eliminate transportation loans for refugees and was produced by the Strategic Alliance for the Advancement of Immigrant and Refugee Children and Youth (SAAIRCY - Edmonton). To order a copy of the video on DVD, complete and submit the Publications Order Form.
Order campaign postcards to send to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Citizenship or your Member of Parliament. This will make a great action activity for your next community event!
See the order form to order copies of the postcards.
See these suggestions of what to say on postcards.
Please write to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to urge that the government absorb the costs of the transportation and overseas medical expenses for resettled refugees and dependants abroad of protected persons.
You will find suggestions for what to say in this model letter.
Call, meet with or write Members of Parliament in your area, urging them to support the elimination of the burden of the transportation loan.
For a guide on how to approach a meeting with an MP, please follow these tips on how to organize a meeting on the transportation loan.
Looking for another reason to visit your MP? Collect a minimum of 25 signatures on this petition and ask him/her to table them in Parliament.
Please also encourage other organizations to learn about this issue and take action. The transportation loan problem should be a concern to groups in the areas of education, poverty, children's issues and youth issues.
Encourage your City Council to adopt a resolution calling for the elimination of the burden of the transportation loan. Surrey City Council in BC has already done so (see their resolution). The Federation of Canadian Municipalities followed with their resolution.
For notes on how to encourage the adoption of similar resolutions, see this guide.
**Hidden Costs: Paying back the refugee transportation loans (DVD) - 15 minutes
Hidden Costs exposes the burden and painful impact of transportation loans on individual refugees, their families and on Canadian society. Produced with the Strategic Alliance for the Advancement of Immigrant and Refugee Children and Youth (SAAIRCY - Edmonton), this film is part of a national campaign to have the Canadian government eliminate transportation loans for refugees.
If you would like to order this resource, please use the Publications Order Form.
**Ending the Burden of Transportation Loans
The burden of repaying refugee transportation loans is about more than money; it is about people facing tough realities. For a glimpse into some of their lives, read the profiles of individuals, families and communities affected by the repayment of transportation loans. Print out the backgrounder and share these stories with others.
Access this resource at: http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/loansEN.pdf
**Postcards (see above for more information on this action tool)
If you would like to order this resource, please use the Publications Order Form.
The following are some recent research findings on the impacts of transportation loan repayment on refugees and their families from studies conducted in several cities across Canada.
Know of additional resources that should be listed in this section? Please send details to Colleen French at: cfrench@ccrweb.ca
CCR Resolution on transportation loans, adopted May 2008
Blog, Baby steps: When will the government absorb refugee transportation loans? 28 September 2010
The following organizations are calling on the Canadian government to absorb the costs of transportation loans for resettled refugees in Canada. Follow the links to see what they have said on the issue:
- Surrey City Council, British Columbia, motion calling for Termination of the Transportation Loan Program for Refugees, adopted 29 June 2009 
- First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition - Campaign to Repeal Refugee Transportation Loan Requirement
Refugee transportation loans in the news:
- 'Gov't program leaves refugees out of work, deeply in debt', Edmonton Journal, 6 July 2009
- ‘Refugees Welcome?’, Vancouver Sun, 24 July 2008
- ‘Ottawa criticized for charging refugees for flights’, CBC British Columbia, 27 December 2007
- ‘Systematic barriers give immigrants raw deal’, Winnipeg Free Press, 13 August 2008
- ‘African Refugee faces up to homeless misery’, The Georgia Straight, 21 August 2008
