Canadian officials say they will make good on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to grant temporary shelter to immigrants stranded in Canada by President Donald Trump’s latest executive order.
But the order only allows those passing through additional time to go through screening; it doesn’t subvert Canada’s complex and difficult legal immigration process, nor does it give refugees fleeing Trump additional status.
Lena Dunham will, no doubt, be crushed.
Canada says it will offer “temporary residency permits” in the event any travelers are turned back from the US or barred from getting on an America-bound flight by Trump’s executive order, which bans people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The amnesty is only for a short time; just as long as it takes for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to clear the necessary paperwork.
So far, though, not a single traveler has found him/herself stranded in Canada because of Trump’s 90-day immigration moratorium.
Unfortunately for American celebrities who have routinely threatened to move to Canada in the wake of Trump’s election, the move doesn’t make immigrating to Canada any easier.
To relocate to Canada, you need “sponsorship by an immediate family member,” or in possession of a skill Canada desperately requires (oddly, “acting” is not on the list). Once inside the country, the waiting list is at least two years long for any sort of permanent residency status.
