Greece granted the women and their families temporary visas on the understanding that the country would be a “lily pad” destination – a place where the Afghans would stay temporarily while they awaited visas from Canada, the United States and other countries. But the paperwork has taken months. In a letter to Mr. Fraser and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said some of the Greek visas will expire at the end of this month.
In her letter, she wrote that the immigration forms are detailed and complex, and that filling them out requires internet access, which refugees might be unable to obtain. They might also need help from lawyers and translators.