Sami has waited for 11 years, Suleyman for 9. Their plight was made public in an April 2000 Press Conference in Toronto after SIRC reports on their cases became available.
Full rights come with permanent resident status.
Getting resident status is important to refugees. The application of these restrictive criteria does not conform with applicable international human rights standards for non-discrimination and equal treatment before the law. Finally, although important international rights such as family life and freedom of movement are often at stake, there is no effective means of recourse to the courts. Various international human rights bodies have protested the delays in the granting of permanent resident status to refugees in Canada. Most recently, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in its February 2000 Report raised concerns about the extent of access to effective judicial protection for individuals involved.