Perry V Bhargav

the following notice has appeared on the CIC website at the following URL

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/01/0119-pre.html

STRENGTHENED IMMIGRATION MEASURES TO COUNTER TERRORISM

NIAGARA FALLS, October 12, 2001 -- Elinor Caplan, Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration, today announced a five part security strategy as part of the Government
of Canada's Anti-Terrorism Plan.

The Government of Canada will invest approximately $49 million to strengthen
Citizenship and Immigration's ability to move quickly on:

Fast-tracking the permanent resident card for new immigrants by June, 2002; front
end-security screening of refugee claimants; increased detention capacity; increased
deportation activity; and hiring up to one hundred new staff to enforce upgraded
security at Ports of Entry. "The events of September 11 have underscored the urgent
need to move quickly on security issues," said Minister Caplan. "Work on these
initiatives to strengthen Canada's security was already under way and will be
accelerated with the infusion of new resources. In addition, the implementation of
the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Bill C-11) will further contribute to
the security of Canada's borders."

The Government of Canada Anti-terrorism Plan has four objectives:

stop terrorists from getting into Canada and protect Canadians from terrorist acts;
bring forward tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish terrorists; prevent
the Canada-US border from being held hostage by terrorists and impacting on the
Canadian economy; and work with the international community to bring terrorists to
justice and address the root causes of such hatred. Additional resources, including
$9 million for the additional employees, are being assigned to key enforcement
activities, such as examination and security screening at ports of entry, more
detailed screening of refugee claimants already in Canada, and increased detention
and deportation. These resources are in addition to funds CIC obtained in Budget 2000
and which were applied to its enforcement program. CIC will continue to work closely
on security and intelligence issues with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, CSIS and
the RCMP, as well as with U.S. and international counterparts in the fight against
terrorism.

The Government of Canada has invested $1.8 billion since Budget 2000 in key
departments and agencies to ensure they have the tools they need to do their job
effectively in the fight against terrorism. Funding for these initiatives is provided
for in the fiscal framework.

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For Information:

Minister's Office Derik Hodgson
(613) 954-1064 Departmental Spokesperson Danielle Sarazin
(614) 952-0740

BACKGROUNDER - 1

Permanent Resident Card

The approval of $17.3M in new funding will allow CIC to proceed quickly with the
introduction of a permanent resident card, replacing the existing paper record of
landing document. This will provide permanent residents of Canada with a secure proof
of status document and will greatly facilitate international travel.

The goal is that by June, 2002, the new card will be issued to all new immigrants
arriving in Canada. Subsequently, immigrants with permanent resident status already
in Canada will be able to apply for the card for the purposes of travel. Easier to
carry than the current document, it will also confirm their identity and status to
facilitate access to services within Canada.

Currently new immigrants and permanent residents are identified with a paper form,
the IMM 1000 Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing, which has been in use for many
years and has been subject to abuse. The security features of the new card will
reduce this fraud substantially and protect the integrity of the immigration system,
while easing travel for legal immigrants. CIC has been working on the development of
the card for a number of years to ensure the card contains the most up-to-date
security features and fraud resistance.

The wallet-sized permanent resident card will contain the basic biographical
information already on the IMM 1000, as well as a photograph of the person to whom it
is issued. The machine-readable card will have an optical stripe where this data will
be encoded.

The implementation of the card will involve about 2 million clients over a
five-year period.

BACKGROUNDER - 2

Security Screening For Refugee Claimants

Since September 11, immigration officials have begun implementing interim procedures
for front-end screening of refugee claimants based on new security concerns.
Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) is receiving an additional $17M to increase its
capacity to conduct a detailed examination of claimants.

Persons who make a claim to refugee status in Canada are entitled to a hearing of
their claim before the independent Immigration and Refugee Board. The current
Immigration Act gives immigration officials the authority to fingerprint and
photograph claimants and to determine their admissibility to Canada and eligibility
to make a refugee claim. A person who is found inadmissible on criminal or security
grounds may be ordered removed from Canada. The removal order becomes effective if
the person is not eligible to pursue a refugee claim or is denied refugee status
after determination of the claim. If refugee status is granted, the person may apply
for permanent residence, and a complete security and criminal check is carried out
before permanent residence is granted.

CIC officials already conduct in-depth front-end screening process as soon as refugee
claimants arrive. While this process is possible under current immigration law,
proposals under Bill C-11 will streamline the process and allow CIC to suspend and
terminate the processing of refugee claims where persons are determined to be a
security threat.

BACKGROUNDER - 3

Targeting Security Risks Through Detention

The Immigration Act authorizes detention of a person considered a danger to the
public or unlikely to appear for immigration proceedings. Existing authorities also
permit the targeted use of detention at a port of entry where identity is in question
and security concerns exist. In 2000-2001, some 8,790 persons were detained under the
Immigration Act for an average period of 16 days.

Given the heightened state of alert since September 11 and the plan to conduct more
thorough front-end screening, immigration officials expect to increase this targeted
use of detention for security reasons, resulting not only in more detentions but also
in longer periods of detention.

Cabinet has authorized funding of $4M to cover these needs in the coming months.

BACKGROUNDER - 4

Increasing Removals

Deportation is a key element in protecting the security of Canada's borders. The
highest priority is given to the removal of criminals and persons considered a
security risk. Next in priority is the removal of refused refugee claimants, in order
to maintain the integrity of the immigration program.

Deportations from Canada have increased steadily in recent years, with more than
8600 persons removed in 2000, of whom 1700 were criminals. Increasing the number
of removals, particularly of criminals and terrorists, is vital to protecting
public security.

Every effort will be made to carry out these removals quickly and efficiently.
Considering the increased security concerns among airlines, it will be important to
consider options that ensure the safety of the travelling public, crews and
immigration escort officers.

During the coming months, $1.6M will be allocated to increased deportations.