Canada Faces Asylum Backlog of 180,000, Official Says

About 180,000 illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in Canada are asking to stay in the country, causing long wait times, according to information from a Senate committee hearing. “Thousands of claimants are facing long wait times at multiple points in the process,” said Jason Hollmann, director general of asylum policy at the immigration department, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. Mr. Hollmann made the comments at a Senate social affairs committee on May 23, saying that asylum decisions can take years. “What does the backlog stand at today?” Senator Ratna Omidvar asked. Mr. Hollman said that claim volumes had been “growing.” “Last year, Canada received 144,000 asylum claims,” said Mr. Hollmann. “The inventory, in terms of the initial eligibility determination, is around 34,000.”...