DNA tests required for refugee kids

Community Action, Oct 25, 2004

OTTAWA -- Canada's attempts to prevent child trafficking by requiring DNA proof of relationship is causing delays in bringing children of some immigrants and refugees into Canada.

When parents gain admission to Canada and apply to bring their children, they are required to show more proof, if the immigration officials have doubts about the authenticity of claims or documents. DNA testing is not mandatory but is required occasionally for applicants from Africa, the Caribbean, India and Bangladesh.

In the case of refugees, children have been left behind when the parents fled. The children may have to be transported a long distance from a war zone to a facility in a more peaceful location. A case cited by the Globe & Mail, describes a situation in which a child will have to be brought from Iraq to Jordan in order to have the testing completed.

A Spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said: "Our goal is to reunite close family members as quickly an possible. But we also have a responsibility to ensure the relationships are genuine," said Maria Iadinardi, CIC spokeswoman. "We definitely don't want to be participating in the trafficking of children, so we have to be extremely careful." In the past three years more than 12,000 dependents of refugees have been admitted to Canada, most not requiring DNA testing.