Barriers for Non-Status Women — A Legal and Policy Overview for the BC Society of Transition Houses

Barriers for Non-Status Women Written by Jordan Ardanaz. View full pdf here. 

Contribution to project by Kamaljit Lehal (2017).

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Excerpt

Introduction

The Barriers for Non-Status Women paper discusses access to a variety of social services and immigration policies in BC and Canada for women who are without legal immigration status and are deemed out of status or non-status women. Three fundamental issues are examined in this overview: issues of access to provincial health and housing services, and issues related to immigration status. Additionally, access to financial support is examined, as this is a significant component of eligibility for many provincial support services, and is an important element in a non-status woman’s ability to support herself in pursuing an application to the Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship that would provide her with an immigration status in Canada. The paper also includes recommendations to policies, regulations and laws that would improve an out of status woman’s ability to access critical services and immigration pathways to residency. The non-status women considered in this overview have entered Canada in the Family Class, which includes spouses and common-law partners, parents and grandparents, and dependent children under 18 years old.

View full pdf here.