Man who fled civil war, faced long road to citizenship wants easier path for asylum seekers
Windsor resident fled civil war in Liberia, applied for asylum three times before being accepted
It took nine years of waiting for Christopher Dennis to become a Canadian citizen. Now, he wants to be part of change to the system.
Dennis, a former asylum seeker living in Windsor, is calling on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to make it easier for those seeking asylum in Canada.
"Sometimes, the programs are a little complex or it's just way too hard for people who want to come to Canada to immigrate," said Dennis.
Dennis knows what it's like to face a difficult entry into Canada.
He fled his native Liberia when war broke out on Dec. 24, 1989, when the first of two civil wars ravaged the country for the next 14 years. He fled to neighbouring countries, staying in refugee camps.
More on asylum seekers staying in Windsor:
Dennis went to school in Ghana and moved to the U.S. in 2003. He studied at Brown College in the U.S., building a successful career in IT.
After graduating from Brown, Dennis applied for asylum in the U.S., which was denied.
"I didn't know what to do anymore," he said. "I was hopeless. 'What will happen?' But [that] did not deter my pursuit for safety and education. So I turned to Canada.
"Canada gave me hope."
He arrived in Canada in 2010. After sitting through a 16-hour interview with border officials at the Ambassador Bridge, Dennis was allowed to enter Canada and apply for asylum.
Three times he applied. Three times he was denied.
"I was worried that I was going to be removed back to a country where my safety [was] going to be in jeopardy," Dennis said.
Undeterred, he tried for a fourth time.
This time, he was approved. He became a Canadian citizen in 2019.
Canada gave me hope.- Christopher Dennis
Dennis' experience dealing with the asylum application system inspired him to give up his career in IT and help others who are facing the same situation he did.
He completed the Immigration and Citizenship Law graduate diploma program at Queen's University and wants to open his own local practice as an immigration consultant.
"My goal is primarily to help refugees or immigrants," Dennis said, regardless if they want to study here, sponsor family members to move here, or for residents to apply for permanent residency or citizenship.
However, Dennis' time in North America came at a price. He had to leave his two daughters behind, saying it was a pivotal moment in his life.
"Looking at young girls growing up without a dad or a fatherly figure, it was really concerning to me all the time," Dennis said. "There were days that I wanted to pack up and leave."
WATCH | Former asylum seeker Christopher Dennis on helping other asylum seekers:
But he persevered. Dennis gained citizenship and says it's a privilege.
"I can now go across the world without looking over my shoulders or being afraid that something bad would happen to me," he said.
Things only seem to be improving for Dennis, who will be reuniting with both his daughters soon.
His older daughter, 27-year-old Christine, has been with him in Canada since 2012. His younger daughter, 22-year-old Grace Apple, will be joining them soon after she and her 23-month-old daughter, Christine Bella, were granted entry.
Dennis says he's happy their reunion will bring a conclusion to his story.
System not designed for high application volumes: expert
An immigration consultant says lengthy delays due to long processing times by the IRCC for people to enter Canada are nothing new.
"We've seen some cases [take] two years to be processed," said Marwan Zarif, founder of immigration firm Canada By Choice.
He says delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the Roxham Road border crossing have made processing times worse than before.
"Every year, refugee cases [are] going up," Zarif says. "Is the system ready to handle those cases? No. The system was found based on a smaller number of people."
IRCC data published on its website says 39 per cent of its temporary residence visa applications are backlogged.
IRCC spokesperson Isabelle Dubois that asylum claims made in Canada or at points of entry can be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
The IRB aims to rule on 80 per cent of asylum claims within two years and said the average processing time from September 2022 to August 2023 was 17 months, according to IRB spokesperson Anna Pape.
Pape says of the 48,500 claims that have been decided in that timeframe, 69 per cent were accepted and 21 per cent were rejected.
Zarif also says the appeal process for asylum seekers is not fair.
"The appeal process for refugees in Canada under the IRB is limited," he says. "There is no hearing. You file a request and they process the request."
"Rejections in appeals are very high."
Pape says of the 10,300 appeals that were decided, only a third were allowed. She says most appeals are written-only processes because the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act lists "a limited set of conditions in which an oral hearing may be conducted."
Zarif says more employees and improvements to the hearing process would help, as would implementing an interim housing plan for asylum seekers while they wait for their application to be processed.
"Where are they going to live? Are they going to be employed or not?" he asked. "Canadians have a problem finding housing. What about refugees?"
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