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HOW ESL TEACHERS CAN HELP
BARRIERS TO CITIZENSHIP 1
FACTS AND FIGURES: 2
Government of Canada CIC website:
2011 – 248,748 new immigrants:
62.8 % ECONOMIC SKILLED IMMIGRANTS
22.7 % FAMILY CLASS IMMIGRNTS
11.2 % REFUGEES
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statis
tics/facts2011/permanent/02.asp
The numbers: 3
Economic immigrants: 156,121
Family Class: 56,446
Refugees/
Humanitarian: 27,872
• FAMILY MEMBERS
• REFUGEES
84,318 NEW IMMIGRANTS …. 4
NO LANGUAGE
TESTING REQUIRED
Knowledge of English or French? 5
6
Sponsored family members
need citizenship
• Full integration
• Membership
Refugees need citizenship 7
• Full integration
• Membership
• Can’t return home
• Stateless
• No passport
Grants of citizenship annually 8
Gov of Canada website – report 2008-09 (most
recent available)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications
/cit-ann-report-2008.asp#year
Applications received: 240,960
Applications approved: 173,976
Some headlines: 9
Ipsos-Reid study by The Dominion Institute
in 2007:“60% of Canadians fail mock
citizenship test”
Canadian Press Nov 28, 2010:
“Citizenship-test failures skyrocket”
from 4-8% to 30%
Toronto Star, Mar 16, 2012: “New rules
double rate of citizenship refusal”
Keys to passing test:
10
Language proficiency
(in English or French)
Education
2011: Family + Refugees = 84,318
11
84,318 new immigrants
in 2011, admitted with
no language or
education requirement
12
Barriers to language
acquisition for refugees
• Survivors of torture
• Survivors of war
• PTSD
• Interruptions in education
• Disabilities/poverty
Where do refugees come from? 13
IRB Statistics for 2011 with success rate:
Iran – 81% (state oppression)
Afghanistan – 78% (civil war)
Somalia – 77% (failed state since 1991)
Nigeria – 63% (civil unrest)
Sri Lanka – 57% (civil war for 40 + years)
Haiti – 48% (civil unrest, disaster, gender issues)
Mexico – 17% (drug wars and corruption, gender)
Hungary – 8% (increasing racism against Roma, Jews)
14
Example #1
• Vietnamese woman born 1960
• Experienced Vietnam war and
post war
• Never attended school
• Canada - 1989 as stateless
refugee
#1 continued 15
• Married and 3 children in
Canada
• 1996 husband left her
• ESL classes in 1990s but could
not pass language tests
#1 continued 16
• 10 years, 4 applications for citizenship
• Failed every time
• 2008 came to PCLS
• Documented PTSD and learning
disability
• Written submissions seeking exemption
17
• 2009 given “accommodation” –
oral test with citizenship judge
(no exemption)
• Granted citizenship after 20
years in Canada
18
Example #2
• Jamaican woman born 1978
• Sponsored to Canada at age 18
• Did not finish high school in Jamaica
• Speaks English but problems with literacy
• Applied for citizenship twice but failed
test
• Requests exemption from test or
accommodation
19
• Receives audiotape of the 70
page booklet for citizenship
• Can’t understand how to use
audio tape
• Tested a few days later
and fails again
20
• PCLS appeals to Federal Court
on ground of unfairness
• DOJ lawyer consents to new test
• Passes oral test
• Granted Citizenship
FACTS ON ILLITERACY IN CANADA 21
Human Resources and Skills Development :
52% of Canadians are Level 3 or above
(Level 3 is minimum for functional literacy in Canada)
Question: What level of literacy is necessary to learn a new language?
Example #3 22
Tibetan man born 1964
Lived as a nomad, no formal
schooling
Speaks Tibetan dialect and illiterate
in Tibetan
2002 accepted as Convention
refugee in Canada
#3 continued… 23
• 2004 - permanent resident
• Working and supporting himself in
Canada
• Described as “asset” by employer
• He is stateless – only home is
Canada
#3 continued 24
Applied for citizenship three times
Refused on language and
knowledge
2010 sought assistance from PCLS
#3 continued 25
New application submitted in 2010
request for exemption from language and knowledge requirement
Evidence from ESL teacher, community members
Still awaiting decision on exemption or accommodation
Example #4 26
Woman from Eritrea, born 1968
Experienced constant civil war,
interrupted schooling
Conscripted into Eritrean military
during civil war with Ethiopia and
gravely injured in 1999 – spent a
year in hospital recovering but suffers
severe PTSD
#4 continued 27
Became permanent resident of
Canada in 2005 with her
husband who is legally blind
Cares for her husband and
their three young children
#4 continued 28
2007 her husband and eldest son
passed the test to become citizens
but she failed the test
She applied again and in 2010
again failed the test
#4 continued 29
In 2011 PCLS applied for her to be
exempted from the language and
knowledge requirement based on
medical evidence of her PTSD and
learning disability
Still waiting for decision on
accommodation or exemption
New Language requirements
as of Nov 1st, 2012 30
Third party test results showing
proof of language proficiency –
used in immigration application
(IELTS test)
Proof of English Language
Proficiency Index Program
New language requirements cont.… 31
Proof of completion of secondary
or post-secondary education in
English (or French) in Canada or
abroad
Proof of CLBN/NCLC in speaking
and listening (LINC/CLIC
certificate)
ESL teachers are on the frontlines 32
You are in position to
identify the cases where
exemptions or
accommodation will be
needed
What can you do? 33
Refer those clients who do
not have the capacity to
acquire English language
proficiency to appropriate
services….
34
Provide letters explaining
their efforts to learn
language, literacy issues, etc.
CONCLUSION
With your help, we can
help these clients obtain
citizenship through
“accommodation” or
their disability or through
exemptions on
humanitarian grounds.
35
© Geri Sadoway, Parkdale Community Legal Services, November 2012