Ottawa seeks to create a pathway to address the problem of new arrivals staying without official status

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says some immigrants to Canada who do not have official status need a pathway to residency. Also, in other cases, Ottawa should speed up the process of deporting some people. His comments come as LGBT activists say the lack of a formal program leaves people without formal status in Canada vulnerable to exploitation.

"We need to create a pathway to assignment and citizenship, which I know the immigration minister is working on," Trudeau told reporters in Winnipeg on Friday. "Also, in some cases, we have to speed up the deportation process."

The Liberals pledged in late 2021 to "explore ways to determine the status of undocumented workers who contribute to Canadian communities."

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada defines undocumented persons as persons whose temporary visas have expired but who remain in Canada after their asylum application is rejected or who entered Canada illegally.

According to the immigration department, there are no exact statistics on the number of illegal immigrants in Canada, but academic sources have estimated their number at 500,000.

"Irregular immigrants live in fear of detection and deportation, and many are extremely vulnerable due to very limited access to health care and social services," the ministry's November 2022 report said.

The Immigrant Rights Network raised this issue on Friday on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, noting that sexual minorities are among foreigners who do not have legal and official status in Canada.

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