Pakistan warns paperless migrants about jail time, alarming Afghans waiting to come to Canada
Afghan refugee applicants warn the federal government about a new deadline looming in Pakistan for migrants.
CBC – Afghan refugee applicants and an aid group trying to bring them to Canada are warning the federal government about a new deadline looming in Pakistan for undocumented migrants.
Pakistan is threatening to throw people in jail for up to three years if they do not renew their visas by the end of 2022. The process costs applicants hundreds of dollars each — putting families that escaped Afghanistan and the Taliban with little or no money at a serious disadvantage.
A video ad produced by Pakistan’s Ministry of the Interior has been streaming on government social media channels and on television since the start of October. It warns that “overstaying foreigners may be sentenced for up to three years of imprisonment” after December 31.
“The messaging by the Pakistani government that those Afghans that are in Pakistan illegally will be deported and potentially arrested is very troubling,” said Brian Macdonald, executive director for Aman Lara, a non-profit organization of Canadian veterans and interpreters who have been working for more than a year to bring Afghan refugees to Canada.
While the only foreign countries named in the ad are India and Somalia, it’s running in three different languages: Urdu (Pakistan’s national language) and Dari and Pashto, frequently spoken by Afghans.
