Canada pulls refugee welcome mat, launches ads warning asylum claims hard

Once presenting itself as one of the world's most welcoming countries to refugees and immigrants, Canada is launching a global online ad campaign cautioning asylum-seekers that making a claim is hard.

The C$250,000 ($178,662) in advertisements will run through March in 11 languages, including Spanish, Urdu, Ukrainian, Hindi and Tamil, the immigration department told Reuters. They are part of a broader shift in tone by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's unpopular government on immigration and an effort to clamp down on refugee claims.

Migrants have been blamed for high housing prices, although some experts argue this is a simplistic explanation, and polls show a growing number of Canadians think the country admits too many newcomers.

The four-month campaign is budgeted to cost a third of the total spend on similar advertisements over the previous seven years.

Search queries such as "how to claim asylum in Canada" and "refugee Canada" will prompt sponsored content titled "Canada's asylum system – Asylum Facts," the ministry said.

"Claiming asylum in Canada is not easy. There are strict guidelines to qualify. Find out what you need to know before you make a life-changing decision," one ad reads.

Canada has long been seen as a welcoming place for newcomers. Now its leaders are slashing immigration and trying to get temporary residents to leave and to prevent people fleeing US President-elect Donald Trump from claiming asylum.

"Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is working to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation about Canada's immigration system, and to highlight the risks of working with unauthorized representatives," a department spokesperson wrote in an email.

REFUGEE CASE BACKLOG

It may be an uphill battle. Canada's refugee system faces a 260,000-case backlog amid growing global displacement. The government has little control over who claims asylum.

Its immigration minister has hinted at fast-tracking claims deemed unlikely to succeed. The government is hoping millions of people will leave the country on their own when their visas expire, and the immigration minister has threatened to deport them if they do not.

It is a dramatic about-face for a government that for years set out the welcome mat.

In January 2017, when Trump took office, Trudeau tweeted: "To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada."

On Nov. 17, nearly eight years later, Trudeau published a video promoting his government's immigration policies, calling out "bad actors" who "have been exploiting our immigration system for their own interests."

Last month, the Liberal government, trailing in polls, announced it is slashing permanent and temporary immigration. The population is projected to shrink slightly for two years.

Ad campaigns to counter misinformation on how to apply for asylum could be useful, said University of Ottawa law professor and immigration expert Jamie Chai Yun Liew.

"On the other hand, if they're saying, 'You're not welcome' … it does seem contrary to Canada's approach in the past," she said. "They've switched their messaging."