Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

During a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a manager for Refugee Programs at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto) stated that the MCC Toronto is an organization that endeavours to provide a spiritual home in a Christian context for LGBT people (MCC Toronto 11 Oct. 2017). According to the website of MCC Toronto, the organization was established in 1973 (MCC Toronto n.d.a). The website states that MCC Toronto has fought for equal marriage rights in Canada, and has provided assistance to "many other gay and lesbian groups" (MCC Toronto n.d.a). The website further states that MCC Toronto provides a Refugee Program focused on "LGBTQ+ refugees", which offers a sponsorship to refugees from Middle Eastern and African Countries, as well as "peer support activities" (MCC Toronto n.d.b).

1.1 Requirements to Obtain Support Letters

According to the website, if a refugee or claimant is involved with a minimum of four activities at MCC Toronto, they can be provided with a letter of support for their Immigration and Refugee Board hearing (MCC Toronto n.d.b).

The information in the following section was provided to the Research Directorate by the manager at the MCC Toronto during the 11 October 2017 telephone interview.

Community members can obtain letters of support that are produced primarily for Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) hearings, but can also occasionally be used for community members that are looking for employment, proof of volunteer work, or applications for Ontario Works.

A community member needs to explicitly request a letter of support. MCC Toronto exclusively serves LGBTQ claimants, whose claims are based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. MCC Toronto does offer occasional support for women in domestic violence claims, but usually will refer these claimants to more appropriate organisations.

In order to generate a request for a support letter, claimants must register at MCC Toronto with their personal information, and they are added to an internal database. MCC Toronto also records their hearing date, first program attendance, and subsequent participation in the MCC Toronto community. When a claimant registers for the community, the criteria to receive a letter of support is given to them. There is no fee attached to receiving a letter of support. The requirements consist of:

1. Claimants need to attend at least three information sessions, which occur every second and fourth Wednesday of each month, and claimants must fill out a card proving attendance, the information of which is then entered into a database.
2. Claimants must attend a monthly peer support meeting for refugees.
3. Claimants register to receive a support letter at the peer support meeting and a volunteer will contact them within 10 days of their request.

1.2 Procedures to Produce Support Letters

The information in the following section was provided to the Research Directorate by the manager at the MCC Toronto during the 11 October 2017 telephone interview. Following the request for a letter, a peer support coordinator can use an automated computer system to check the attendance sheets and cards. The database tracks attendance and volunteering by the claimants.

A peer support coordinator will meet with the claimant and interview them, during which the claimant can provide their story. A peer support coordinator will usually handle the writing of the letters, however a manager can do so as well, particularly for personalised letters.

It takes approximately ten days to produce a letter of support, though this can depend on when the hearing date is scheduled. There is no expedited process to obtain the letter. Once the letters have been sent, an electronic copy of the letter is retained in a folder at the MCC Toronto office.

1.3 Description of Letters

The information in the following section was provided to the Research Directorate by the manager at the MCC Toronto during the 11 October 2017 telephone interview. There is a template for the letters of support, but their content is different and it can be personalized. The more involvement a claimant has with the organisation, the more personalised the support letters can be.

A sample of the letter template, provided by the manager at the MCC Toronto to the Research Directorate, is attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

2. Rainbow Refugee

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Chairperson of Rainbow Refugee stated that Rainbow Refugee "supports and advocates with refugees who face persecution related to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV+ status" (Rainbow Refugee 16 Oct. 2017). The source added that the organization assists "inland claimants in BC [British Columbia] through facilitated peer-support groups, referrals consultations, system navigation and accompaniment" (Rainbow Refugee 16 Oct. 2017). According to the Rainbow Refugee website, "Rainbow Refugee is a Vancouver based community group" that was founded in 2000, and that supports and assists "LGBTQ+/HIV+ refugee claimants in BCs Lower Mainland through facilitated peer support, referrals, system navigation and accompaniment" (Rainbow Refugee n.d.). The website further states that every second Thursday of each month, Rainbow Refugee holds information drop-ins where "lesbian gay bi trans queer /HIV+ people considering or making a claim, can learn about the application process and community resources" (Rainbow Refugee n.d.). The same source adds that Rainbow Refugee stewards the "Rainbow Refugee Assistance Project, a Blended Private Sponsorship Agreement in partnership with Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC)" that assists with the sponsorship of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers residing outside of Canada (Rainbow Refugee n.d.). The website also states that Rainbow Refugee brings "the perspectives of LGBTQ+ refugees into refugee policy and practice through knowledge exchanges, briefs and testimony to parliament, public and service provider education" (Rainbow Refugee n.d.).

2.1. Requirements to Obtain Support Letters

The information in the following section was provided to the Research Directorate in 16 October 2017 correspondence with the Rainbow Refugee Chairperson after consulting with "letter writers" at the organization.

Rainbow Refugee provides letters of support to community members. "To be a community member, people must attend a Rainbow Refugee support group in person and complete a brief intake form with contact information and a few needs assessment questions."

Community members request a letter "in person at a meeting and typically follow up with an email to the letter writer giving the date [the letter is] required and legal spelling of their name." Letters can be requested for Federal Court proceedings (less frequently), pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) or humanitarian and compassion (H&C) applications (occasionally), or advocating release from detention. The vast majority of the letters are written for Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) refugee proceedings.

Rainbow Refugee has a general guideline for requirements on the part of the requestor, asking that community members must have interacted with the letter writer personally on at least three separate occasions. "Typically, this entails one large group meeting, a social gathering, and at least one one-on-one consultation.  Most community members exceed this. Typically we have seen community members almost weekly during their refugee claim for interactions lasting one to four hours each."

In rare circumstances, Rainbow Refugee can provide letters of support for persons who have not met the requirements, as long as they can provide a "compelling reason", such as: a "Qmunity" volunteer provided inaccurate information about meeting times, an email communication was missed, or there were difficulties with interpretation. These circumstances would be clearly noted in the letter. Rainbow Refugee "regularly receive request by email for letters of support that [they] decline."

2.2. Procedures to Produce Support Letters

The information in the following section was provided by the Rainbow Refugee Chairperson in correspondence with the Research Directorate on 16 October 2017.

There are currently four volunteer organizers who are responsible for letter writing: these volunteers have signed a code of ethics and a confidentiality agreement. Members must inform the organizer of their hearing date, and Rainbow Refugee asks for two weeks' notice before the hearing date in order to provide letters. This is not always possible, however, if someone meets the criteria requested to obtain a letter of support, Rainbow Refugee "will work to provide a letter in time for the hearing. If a submission deadline is missed due to lack of capacity, Rainbow Refugee will state this in the letter."

Rainbow Refugee requires that the letter writer know the community member, and must have interacted directly with them on three separate occasions. "If there is uncertainty about how long the individual has been participating in Rainbow Refugee, [the organization] consult[s] the intake form and membership list."

Rainbow Refugee does not charge any fees to provide support letters to community members. Once the letters are issued, they are stored digitally on a local server protected by a password. The digital copies are only accessible to the volunteer organizers responsible for letter writing.

2.3. Description of Letters

The information in the following section was provided by the Rainbow Refugee Chairperson in correspondence with the Research Directorate on 16 October 2017.

All letters give the month of the community member's first contact with Rainbow Refugee. "The letter writer describes the nature of direct interactions they have had with the individual (in a large group, in a small group, individually, or at a public event)." In the case of exceptions to Rainbow Refugee's "minimum three interactions criteria," the letter writers report the brief nature of their interactions with the member.

Letters of support specifically for the IRB provide several kinds of information:

1. Document the involvement of individuals in the activities of Rainbow Refugee which may include: attending the support group, attending social gatherings (scheduled monthly), attending one-on-one or small group consultations, volunteering for public education activities (staffing booths, speaking at events) and joining other community members at public events (e.g. Queer Film Festival, Queer Arts Festival, Pride).
2. Document our knowledge of the community members’ current context that may be relevant to their case or impact their ability to give testimony:  living situation (with family, with a partner, in shelter), employment/income, health, language fluency, mobility.
3. If the community member has relayed parts of their life history in conversation with us or in small groups we facilitate, we provide examples.
4. Since 2013, with the expedited pace of hearings, members are often unable to access counselling or psychological assessments. As a result we began adding observations about how members may present when anxious, and what we know of their mental health status and supports, or areas that may be particularly difficult to discuss. This information is only included if the letter writer is a trained mental health professional (registered clinical counsellor, social worker or psychologist) and the letter writer explicitly states that the information is not gathered through a formal assessment.
5. Typically we provide a very brief statement about the country of origin conditions that we are aware of from public documents. Very occasionally, we provide more detailed information about our knowledge of country conditions. We do this 1) If the individual is from a country that is not covered well in the National Documentation Package, and 2) we have recently worked with other SOGIE [sexual orientation and gender identity and expression] refugee claimants of the same nationality.

A sample of the template of the letter, provided by the Chairperson to the Research Directorate, is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

3. The 519 Community Centre in Toronto

According to The 519 website, The 519 is a City of Toronto agency "committed to the health, happiness and full participation of the LGBTQ community" (The 519 n.d.a). The website further states that The 519 was created in the mid-1970s as a community centre in Toronto's gay village (The 519 n.d.b). The 519 operates on a framework based on "Service, Space, and Leadership" to meet the needs of their community (The 519 n.d.a). The website of The 519 describes this framework as follows:

Service: We respond to the evolving needs of the LGBTQ community, from counselling services and queer parenting resources to coming out groups, trans programming and senior’s support.

Space: We provide free, accommodating and non-judgemental space where individuals, organizations and non-profit groups can meet, organize and work towards their goals.

Leadership: We share knowledge and insight gathered on the ground through consulting and workshop services, best practice research and public engagement campaigns. (The 519 n.d.a)

The website adds that The 519 offers a weekly "Refugee Support Group," referred to as "Among Friends", that gives "presentations and information sessions on different topics" that is "designed to ease the transition for individuals who arrive in Canada escaping persecution at home as a result of their sexual orientation" (The 519 n.d.c). According to The 519 Annual Report 2016/2017, the program also offers individual settlement counseling, and aims to "create community connections that reduce social isolation and promote integration into Canadian society" (The 519 Sept. 2017, 12).

3.1. Requirements to Obtain Support Letters

The information in the following section was provided by the Director of Programs and Community Services at The 519 in correspondence with the Research Directorate on 13 October 2017.

The 519 provides official letters, upon request, to registered members and active volunteers. The nature of these letters includes confirmation of membership, program/event participation and volunteer roles and hours. The 519 also provides a membership card to all members, a training record at the end of a completed LGBTQ newcomer orientation session, and an attendance log to individual programs.

All official letters are issued following "the completion of an application form requesting detailed information [from the applicant], including the letter’s objective." Members and volunteers can request official letters from The 519 for a proof of volunteer experience for scholastic requirement or for Toronto Employment and Social Services (TESS) benefits and activity tracking, or for a "proof of membership and participation in LGBTQ programs and events to support claims for refugee protection."

In order to request a letter, members or volunteers need to meet criteria established by The 519. The criteria for proof of volunteer experience are as follows:

1. Proof of membership, established through a database search of the organization;
2. A minimum of 26 volunteer hours per month logged in to Kindness Connect ("a web-based software utilized to organize volunteer programs and track hours and scheduling");
3. Special event volunteer hours logged in to Kindness Connect;
4. Volunteer letter request form completed and signed.

The proof of membership and participation in LGBTQ programs and events to support claims for refugee protection requires:

1. Proof of membership, established through a database search of the organization;
2. Completion of the "LGBTQ newcomer orientation session";
3. A minimum of five stamps on "Among Friends LGBTQ Refugee Support Group Attendance Log";
4. Settlement services letter request form completed and signed;
5. "Individual meeting with LGBTQ Refugee Programs Coordinator to review and approve application".

Samples of the settlement services letter request form, newcomer orientation training record, and Among Friends attendance sheet, provided by the Director to the Research Directorate, are attached to this Response (Attachments 3-5).

3.2. Procedures to Produce Support Letters

The information in the following section was provided by the Director at The 519 in correspondence with the Research Directorate on 13 October 2017.

"Verification of membership or involvement is done through a combined database search and examination of the Programs Attendance Log," which are accessed through a web-based software system.

Official volunteer or membership letters are "issued by the staff who directly coordinate the departments or who are providing direct service to the applicant." At the time of writing, there were three coordinators assigned to the LGBTQ Refugee Programs, and one specialist for Volunteer and Community Engagement. Additionally, supervising managers, both the Manager for Direct Services, and the Director for Programs and Community Services, are authorized to issue letters in the event that the coordinators were out of office.

The process time for official volunteer or membership letters is dependent on individual staff workload. At time of this response, the average process time is two weeks. Letters that provide proof of membership and participation to support claims for refugee protection often experience the lengthiest process time as the pathway involves far more steps including an individual appointment with a coordinator. This means the wait time for an appointment is added to the length of process.  At time of this response, the average wait time for an appointment is one week. There is no expedited process.

All official letters provided by The 519 are issued at no cost to the applicant.

The web-based software system utilized by The 519 to track membership and volunteer hours also records the date a letter is issued. A hardcopy is also placed in client files. "As a City of Toronto agency, The 519 retains files with unique identifying information, including Protected B IRCC and Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) of Ontario related files, in an archive for a minimum of 8 years."

3.3. Description of Letters

Samples of the basic letter template, secondary letter template, and template for a letter with counselling notes, provided by the director to the Research Directorate, are attached to this Response (Attachments 6-8)

4. Welcome Place (Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc.)

According to the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. (MIIC) website, the MIIC is a Winnipeg-based refugee settlement agency, with staff that "work with multicultural, multi-linguistic and multi-faith communities in Manitoba to support Government Assisted Refugees (GARs), Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs) and other newcomers", through the agency’s Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) and its Educational and Community Services Division (MIIC n.d.a). The website also states that the MIIC, operating for over 65 years, is governed by a multi-faith volunteer Board, and "mobilizes resources from [the] government, and the general community, to deliver high quality services to help integrate refugees into Canadian society" (MIIC n.d.a). The same source indicates that the MIIC "monitors government policies and attitudes towards refugees and works cooperatively with federal, provincial and non-government agencies which are concerned for the welfare of refugees" and "ensures through its programming and community connections with other like-minded and specialized agencies that refugees access and receive services" (MIIC n.d.a).

According to the MIIC website, its In-Canada Protection Services department, provides refugee claimants in Canada with "paralegal services" (MIIC n.d.b). Other In-Canada Protection Services offered by the MIIC include:

• Providing information and assistance in making refugee claims and other In-Canada applications including: work permits, legal aid, pre-removal risk assessment, humanitarian and compassionate considerations.
• Facilitating access to lawyers
• Facilitating access to health services
• Facilitating translation services
• Facilitating access to other agencies as required
• Advocating for those seeking protection in Canada (MIIC n.d.b)

The MIIC website states that the MIIC is able to "provide on-site interpretation in over 40 languages", and help clients "look for temporary accommodation, work and other supports while they wait for their application to be processed and their claim assessed by the Refugee Board" (MIIC n.d.b).

The information in the following paragraph was provided by a team leader for In-Canada Protection Services at the MIIC in a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 30 October 2017.

The MIIC does not issue letters of support itself to refugee claimants. The MIIC can refer claimants to specialized organizations that provide support letters, which can then be sent through the MIIC's paralegal services as part of the claimant's submission to the IRB. The Protection Services' primary task is to help with the submission of claims, ensuring that a claimant's paperwork is in order, and to notarize supporting documents for the applicants.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

The 519, Toronto. 13 October 2017. Correspondence from the Director of Programs and Community Services to the Research Directorate.

The 519. September 2017. The 519 Annual Report 2016/2017. [Accessed 20 Oct. 2017]

The 519. N.d.a. "About The 519." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

The 519. N.d.b. "Our History." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

The 519. N.d.c. "Among Friends LGBTQ Refugee Support Group." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2017]

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto). 11 October 2017. Telephone interview with a Refugee Programs manager.

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto). N.d.a. "MCC Toronto History." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto). N.d.b. "Refugee Program." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. (MIIC). 30 October 2017. Telephone interview with a In-Canada Protection Services team leader.

Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. (MIIC). N.d.a. "Mission, Vision and Values." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017].

Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. (MIIC). N.d.b. "In-Canada Protection Services." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017].

Rainbow Refugee. 16 October 2017. Correspondence from the Chairperson to the Research Directorate.

Rainbow Refugee. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 4 Oct, 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Factiva, UN – UNHCR, Refworld.

Attachments

1. Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto). 23 October 2017. "Letter of Support." Sent to the Research Directorate by a manager at MCC Toronto, 23 October 2017.
2. Rainbow Refugee. N.d. "Letter of Support Handout." Sent to the Research Directorate by the chairperson at Rainbow Refugee, 16 October 2017.
3. The 519. N.d. "Settlement Services Letter Request Form." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.
4. The 519. N.d. "Settlement Services: Newcomer Orientation Training Record." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.
5. The 519. N.d. "Among Friends Attendance Sheet." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.
6. The 519. 19 July 2017. "Sample - Basic Letter." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.
7. The 519. 30 May 2017. "Sample - Secondary Letter." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.
8. The 519. 17 August 2017. "Sample - Letter With Counseling Notes." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Director at The 519, 13 October 2017.