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UMI A DIFFERENT KIND OF HOPE: PERSONS LIVING WITHOUT STATUS, CANADIAN IMMIGRATION LAW AND THE PROSPECT OF REGULARIZATION ANASTASIA TATARYN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER'S IN LAWS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN LAW YORK UNIVERSITY, TORONTO, ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53835-7 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53835-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada A Different Kind of Hope: Persons Living Without Status, Canadian Immigration Law and the Prospect of Regularization By Anastasia Tataryn a thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF LAWS ©2009 Permission has been granted to: a) YORK UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES to lend or sell copies of this thesis in paper, microform or electronic formats, and b) LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA to reproduce, lend, distribute, or sell copies of this thesis anywhere in the world in microform, paper or electronic formats and to authorize or procure the reproduction, loan, distribution or sale of copies of this thesis anywhere in the world in microform, paper or electronic formats. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. Abstract The criminalization of migration has increased dramatically in the twenty-first century. In Canada, migrants deemed "illegal" are those found not to fit into existing categories of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.1 This thesis examines persons without legal immigration status in relation to Canadian immigration law and policy, and conditions of migration that result in persons staying in Canada regardless of legal status. To address persons without legal status, the government of Canada has demonstrated three policy options: removal, ignoring and regularization. Regularization programs remain in demand by immigration advocacy groups. This thesis considers whether regularization programs are sufficient. This analysis is carried out with attention to immigration law since 1960, current policies, and select qualitative interviews with persons without legal status. Subsequently, new approaches to immigration law and policy will be considered, as well as Canada's national ethos as a nation receptive to immigrants and refugees. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27 [IRPA]; Catherine Dauvergne, Making People Illegal (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008). IV To William. (Finally) v Acknowledgments This work would not have come together without the help and participation of "Gabriella", "Ruth", "Alejandro" and "Petros". Thank you for spending time with me and generously sharing your experiences. Thank you as well to the women at the Rights of Non-Status Women's Network, Diana Grimaldos at Working Women's Alliance, Loly Rico and FCJ Refugee Centre, Navjeetat Sidhu at the Toronto Social Planning Council, Lynn Griffiths at the KW Reception Centre, Janet McLaughlin, and all those who have taken time to speak to me about their experiences. Special thanks to my supervisor, Sean Rehaag, and to my supervisory committee for their work, patience and support. Thank you to Sasha Baglay and Sharry Aiken for helping me initially focus this research. This thesis would never have been possible without the unconditional love and support of my family. Thank you. VI Table of Contents i. PREFACE p.l i.i. Chapter Outline p.4 1. CHAPTER 1: PERSONS WITHOUT LEGAL STATUS 1.1 Introduction p. 6 1.2 Introduction to Persons without Status in Canada p.7 1.3 Defining the Scope p.10 1.3.1 Legal Immigration Status p. 11 1.3.2 Persons without Legal Status p.13 1.3.3 Human Rights p.16 1.4 Three Policy Options p. 18 1.4.1 Removal p. 19 1.4.2 Ignoring p.21 1.4.3 Regularization p.23 1.4.3.1 Regularization as the "best option"? p.27 1.4.3.2 Regularization, Law and Discretion p.29 1.4.3.3 Regularization and Access p.30 1.5 Conclusion p.32 2. CHAPTER II: REGULARIZATION 2.1. Introduction p.33 2.2. History of Regularization Programs in Canada p.34 2.2.1. Chinese Adjustment Program p.35 2.2.2. 1962-1967 Immigration Regulations p.36 2.2.3. Immigration Appeal Board Act, 1966-1967 p.37 2.2.4. Adjustment of Status Program, 1973 p.39 2.2.5. Immigration Act, 1976 p.41 2.2.6. Minister's Review Committee, 1983 p.42 2.2.7. Singh v. Canada, 1985 p.44 vn 2.2.8. Bill C-84, 1987 and Bill C-86, 1992 p.45 2.2.9. Deferred Removal Orders Class, 1994-1998 p.46 2.3. Contemporary Regularization Programs 2.3.1. IRPA, 2001 p.49 2.3.2. Refugee Claims p.49 2.3.3. Humanitarian & Compassionate Claims p.51 2.3.4. Pre-Removal Risk Assessment p.54 2.3.5. Temporary Worker Programs and the Canadian Experience Class p.55 2.4. Recent Proposals for Regularization p.57 2.4.1. Non-Governmental Organizations' Proposals p.59 2.4.2. Government Response: Committee Report, 2009 p.62 2.5. Conclusion p. 67 3. CHAPTER III: STORIES FROM THE IN/OUTSIDE p.70 3.1. Introduction p.71 3.2. Methodological Considerations p.72 3.2.2. Applied to this Study p.74 3.2.3. Limitations and Challenges of this Study p.76 3.2.3.1 Studying Vulnerable Participants p.77 3.2.3.2 Critiques of the Methodology p.78 3.2.3.3 Responses to Critiques p.80 3.3. Narratives of Four Persons Without Status p.81 3.4.1. Gabriella p.82 3.4.2. Ruth p.85 3.4.3. Alejandro p.87 3.4.4. Petros p.91 3.4. Analysis of the Narratives p.96 3.4.1. General Reflections p.98 3.4.2. Lessons for Immigration Policy p.99 3.4.2.1. Refugee Claims p.101 vin 3.4.2.2. Humanitarian and Compassionate Claims p.103 3.4.2.3. Access to Employment and Labour Security p.104 3.4.2.4. Regularization and Opportunities for Gaining Status p. 105 3.5. Conclusion p.106 4. CHAPTER IV: ALTERNATIVES TO REGULARIZATION 4.1. Introduction p. 109 4.2. Alternatives to Regularization p. 111 4.2.1. Temporary Foreign Worker Programs p. 112 4.2.2. Access to Informal Citizenship p.l 19 4.2.2.1. Firewalls p. 120 4.2.2.2. Don't Ask Don't Tell p. 122 4.2.3 A Paradigm Shift: The Emancipatory Potential of Law? p.125 4.3. Perspectives on the Alternatives p. 126 4.3.1. Government p.128 4.3.2. Interview Participants p. 130 4.4. Conclusion p. 133 APPENDIX A: Consent Form p. 139 BIBLIOGRAPHY p. 144 i. Legislation p. 141 ii. Cases p. 141 iii. Government Documents and Publications p. 143 iv. Scholarly Monographs and Articles p. 146 v. Newspaper and Media Sources p. 154 vi. Web Resources p. 157 IX PREFACE "The "illegal" migrant, then, exists in democracy's shadow, the suppressed construction of our peculiar legal institutions."1 Immigration is a critical factor in nation-building policies. State borders determine who is legally admitted into the country and under what conditions, thus distinguishing citizens from foreigners.2 As the numbers of people migrating continue to increase, and economic disparities as well as transnational inter-dependencies continue to impel persons to migrate from less prosperous to more prosperous nations, Canada will be faced with more and more migrants that do not fit into the existing immigration and refugee system. If they remain in Canada, they often do so without legal immigration status.3 Nandita Sharma suggests the distinction between "Canadian" and Other/Foreigner/ Non-citizen is arguably a definitive aspect of Canadian identity - the identity lies in its opposite.