On December 16, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised regularization of undocumented people and permanent resident status for migrant workers and international students. This announcement was the result of sustained organizing by migrants.
However, to date, the Cabinet has yet to make a decision on regularization. The scope and timeline of regularization is still very much up in the air. Over the last year migrant organizations have stepped up their organizing efforts in a bid to win permanent residency status for all.
The efforts of migrant led groups have created an historic opportunity to win permanent resident status for 1.7 million migrants. At their latest retreat in January 2023, the Cabinet discussed a regularization program that would deliver permanent resident status for all undocumented people without exclusions, potentially impacting the over 500,000 undocumented people in the country. It is time for the Cabinet to act.
Winning permanent residency status for all would help ensure that migrants could access vital services like healthcare and programs like EI and CPP and stand up for their rights in the workplace without fear of deportation. This is a fight about ensuring equal rights for all.
The Migrants Rights Network, a network of migrants rights organizations across the country, is asking all supporters to help keep the pressure up in the fight for permanent residency status.
Here are some ways you can support the call for #StatusForAll:
- Send an email – use the email tool to send a message to your reps
- Make a phone call – find the phone numbers you need & messaging on what to say
- Post on social media – share images and messaging calling for regularization
- Put up posters – download posters from this google drive link
To find more information about upcoming demonstrations in your neighbourhood and other ways you can take action, visit: https://migrantrights.ca/takeaction/
Also be sure to read FCJ Refugee Centre’s latest report outlining the challenges faced by migrant workers: It Happens Here: Labour Exploitation Among Migrant Workers During the Pandemic.