FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
15.1.2025
Canada’s “Promise of Safety” for Sudanese Families Is Failing — Delays Have Cost Lives
Toronto, January 15 — Sudanese Canadian families, joined by Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan and community advocates, held a press conference today to denounce what they describe as a false promise by the federal government to reunite families and bring them to safety, as prolonged immigration processing delays continue to result in preventable deaths.
Families shared testimony of parents, children, and relatives who died while waiting for Canadian immigration approvals—despite having submitted applications under Canada’s Sudan family reunification and humanitarian pathways.
“The Liberal government promised family members a special immigration pathway and priority processing to safety, but for many, that promise has meant waiting in war zones, refugee camps, and displacement—until it was too late," said Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan. "Loved ones have died because Canada failed to act expeditiously.”
Sudanese Canadians and advocates fought hard for the expeditated special immigration measure, however, advocates say restrictive caps, internal processing delays, and policy decisions have left thousands trapped in life-threatening conditions with no realistic timeline for safety.
Families described cases where applicants were killed by armed violence, died from untreated medical conditions, or perished during forced displacement while their applications remained unprocessed.
To make matters worsen, the latest Immigration Levels Plan places applications from Sudan, Ukraine, and Hong Kong together under the "other category" of the Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) stream, treating these communities as a footnote in Canada's immigration processes. Across all three communities, the federal government has allocated only:
- 5,800 spaces in 2026
- 4,000 spaces in 2027
- 4,000 spaces in 2028
Based on existing application volumes, advocates estimate it will take at least 13 years to process the current backlog.
“Thirteen years is not a reasonable processing timeline—it is a denial of safety and basically a closed door,” said Kwan. “People fleeing war, famine, and targeted violence cannot survive a 13-year wait.”
While IRCC reports approving permanent residence applications related to Sudan since early 2024, advocates stress that Sudanese applicants remain the smallest and most recently added group within an already capped humanitarian stream—placing them at the back of the queue with the longest waits and highest risk of harm.
“When the government invites people to apply, it has an obligation,” said MP Kwan. “You cannot promise safety and then accept violence and the loss of life as the outcome of delay. The Immigration Levels Plan and processes must to adjusted to reflect Canada's promise to family members.”
Kwan and the Sudanese Canadian Community Association are calling on the federal government to immediately adjust the levels plan to honour its commitment to expeditiously process all these special immigration measures. They are further calling on the Carney administration to prioritize Sudanese family reunification and humanitarian applications, remove Sudan from the capped H&C stream, establish transparent and enforceable processing timelines, and act urgently to ensure no more lives are lost waiting for Canada to keep its word.
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Backgrounder
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023. Canadian family members urgently called for the Federal government to help bring their loved ones to safety. It took the Liberals 10 months to finally open a special measure in this urgent crisis.
The Sudan Family-Based PR Pathway, launched in February 2024, was capped at 3,250 principal applicants and reached capacity by June 2024. After much advocacy, the pathway reopened with priority processing in February 2025 with an additional 1,700 spaces. However, after the election, with significantly reduced immigration levels plan numbers, the Carney government grouped special immigrations measures for Ukraine, Hong Kong and Sundan under the“others” category of Humanitarian and Compassionate stream on a first in first out basis. Because the special Immigration measure was the last to be announced, Sundanese applicants are placed behind tens of thousands of earlier applications from Hong Kong and Ukraine.
As processing delays continue, more and more devastating stories of loved ones who died while waiting for Canadian immigration approvals are emerging.
Families Who Lost Loved Ones Waiting:
Elbagir Abdulkarim: President of the Sudanese Canadian Association Waterloo Wellington. Abdulkarim applied to sponsor his mother in February 2024 under Canada’s special Sudan pathway. She passed away on the morning of Eid, March 30, 2025, before the family could be reunited.
Ranya Elfil: A volunteer and board member of the Sudanese Canadian Community Association (SCCA), described her advocacy for the Sudan Family-Based Permanent Residence Pathway. Ranya and her husband applied to sponsor her father-in-law, who died while waiting for approval. Although the family was eventually able to sponsor her sister-in-law, Dalal Elbuluk, Dalal spoke today about growing up without her father and the lasting trauma caused by prolonged family separation.
Siwar Nour : Siwar Nour shared how his family attempted to sponsor their grandfather, who was eligible for expedited processing because he did not require biometrics. Despite this, IRCC delays and internal pacing restrictions stalled the application. As conditions worsened, the family fled to Egypt, where their grandfather died of heat exhaustion.
Sumaya: Sumaya sponsored by her brother in Alberta in February 2025, was brutally murdered by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur in May 2025. She left behind four traumatized children, the youngest just ten years old. Despite the circumstances, IRCC has refused to expedite the children’s application.
Ihsan: Ihsan sponsored by her brother in British Columbia in February 2024, fled multiple cities to escape RSF violence. During months of displacement and delays, she suffered a severe asthma attack and died due to lack of access to basic medical care, leaving behind two daughters.
Ahmed: Ahmed a 17-year-old boy sponsored by his aunt in Alberta, waited over a year for processing. While living in unsafe refugee conditions in Cairo, he developed pneumonia and passed away. Even after his death, IRCC declined to expedite applications for his surviving relatives.
Stranded Canadian Children:
Advocates also detailed repeated efforts to raise concerns with IRCC about stranded Canadian children, many born to Sudanese mothers and Canadian citizen fathers. These concerns were raised directly with senior officials and the Minister of Immigration over multiple meetings since April 2024. Despite repeated assurances, families report continued delays, opaque processing, and life-threatening consequences.
