Last week the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced temporary measures to help Indigenous people in the United States reunite with their families in Canada and reconnect them with their traditional territories. These measures will allow eligible Indigenous people whose family members live in Canada to work or study in Canada with some requirements waived and extend their stay for up to three years, for those who are already in Canada.
“Colonial borders have had profound impacts on Indigenous Peoples. They have put stress on families, kinship, cultural ties, traditional practices, language preservation and revitalization, governance, and economic opportunities,” the Immigration Ministry said in a statement. “For some communities separated by the Canada–United States border, these impacts are felt on a daily basis.”
These temporary measures were implemented to relieve hardship on families while the federal government continues to work toward long-term solutions to address Indigenous border mobility challenges. This work is part of efforts to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the ministry says.
“First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have long called upon Canada to recognize Indigenous people’s mobility rights across our international borders. Through ongoing consultation and collaboration, Indigenous partners have highlighted how these borders affect their families and communities, limiting connections across their traditional territories,” said Miller. “These new measures help us respond more quickly to the urgent needs of families separated by borders, while continuing the work to strengthen and expand Indigenous mobility rights.”
“The United States–Canada border directly bisects our community, resulting in our members living on both sides of the border and crossing daily to see family, go to work, participate in sports and traditional ceremonies, and much more,” said Chief Michael Conners of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and United States co-chair of the Jay Treaty Border Alliance. “After working with the Government of Canada for over two years, we are excited to see the government’s roll out of interim measures that get us one step closer to accomplishing our shared goal of uniting our Mohawk families divided by the US–Canada border. These measures will eliminate some of the barriers our members face while we continue to work on a long-term, permanent solution.”
Indigenous people eligible for these measures can apply as of October 10, 2024. Applicants must apply in advance before they travel to Canada. Those who are already in Canada can also apply from inside Canada. Applications can’t be made at the border (port of entry). Applicants should visit the dedicated web page at https://bit.ly/48bLrkE for details on how the measures work, who is eligible for them and how to apply.
