TORONTO – A fresh chapter in Tim and his two sons’ lives started in June of 2010, when the Hungarian Roma family of three landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Upon their arrival, Tim says they all claimed refugee status, endured a lengthy interrogation and then they were placed in a Red Cross managed shelter in Toronto, which they made their new home.
This is where Tim’s refugee claim began. It continues, more than two years later.
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Hungary’s asylum claims to Canada have surpassed any other country in the past three years, with “approximately 40 per cent of claimants” coming from an economically depressed region in Hungary where the majority of people are Roma.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-10-09.asp
Although Tim isn’t from that region, he is part of the overall refugee claim statistics that are raising red flags with Immigration Canada.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney recently met with Hungarian leaders to discuss the issue of “irregular immigration” by Hungarian Roma to Canada, something that Kenney says is a signal that bogus refugee claims are being made.
Tim says he doesn’t know if most Hungarian Roma coming to Canada are making bogus claims, only that he isn’t. He also says those that are caught making these claims should be punished accordingly. However, Kenney’s tough stance on all Hungarian Roma refugees certainly makes him concerned for his future here.
Background
Tim and his common-law partner, Eve, arrived at the interview a few minutes late, after being stuck in traffic. Tim said he drives a Jeep-type of a car. The couple was well-dressed, had cell phones and Eve even brought her Sony VAIO laptop to do some work, while Tim was doing the interview.
Articulate and confident, Tim said he is a college graduate who lived in Budapest, Hungary. He had a well-paying job as an emergency service worker and says he was doing great financially. He had a great life.
But then it all changed soon after Hungarians decided to elect the right-of-centre FIDESZ party in April 2010. FIDESZ won by stirring up feelings of Hungarian nationalism – sentiments that didn’t fare well for ethnic minorities like the Roma.
This change in government is what prompted Tim to flee Hungary. He says the racism and discrimination against the Roma escalated after this time, as they were labeled scapegoats for the country’s weakened economy, amongst other things.
Tim said he was humiliated by Hungarian police by being subjected to random street searches. Without reason, police could ask him to show his papers at any time of day. He said he was being racially profiled.
Tim says things got progressively worse: he was more frequently subjected to police interrogations for no reason at all, the street searches also became more frequent and he faced discrimination at work. His kids were also being beat up at school.
Tim played a Youtube video to help us understand how deep the racism runs in Hungary, and why, in his opinion, so many Roma are claiming refugee status in Canada.
The video was taken in August 2012 in a village called Devecseren, a predominantly Roma area. It shows a neo-Nazi demonstration against the group. You can see Hungarian police there, but as Tim pointed out, they don’t get involved as the verbal threats escalate.
He explains that while the majority of Hungarians don’t face persecution, these types of events are becoming daily occurrences in heavily-populated Roma areas and they are going relatively unnoticed by the Hungarian government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A646_VkDrgI
Challenges of daily life
Tim says that besides the obvious financial obstacles that Hungarian Roma refugees face, language is the next hurdle that many can’t get past. This makes it more difficult to seamlessly integrate into Canadian life.
He waited six months to receive his working permit, but says he still hasn’t been able to find a job, since he doesn’t speak English. He doesn’t think that anyone will hire him soon and he is so unsure about his refugee claim, that he is concerned about enrolling in a language course and spending money, in case he has to leave the country.
So he’s had to stay on welfare.
He receives $1,120 dollars in social assistance per month. He says that after paying $900 dollars in rent, basic necessities like soap, toothpaste and deodorant are the only purchases that his family can afford to make.
He says a simple ride on the TTC subway can be something to reconsider because of tight budgets. He says while food, medicine and furniture are provided in addition to welfare, it’s still not enough to get ahead. Not to mention when he gets sick or needs legal help. He says that a basic visit to a doctor could cost him a few hundred dollars because he needs to hire a translator.
What’s next
Tim says most Hungarian Roma come to Canada as refugees because they feel safer here. Canada is known to be accepting and multicultural.
While his family has started to spread their cultural roots here – his son is married and is expecting his first child – he says many people like him still face uneasy and harsh realities of being a refugee.
Right now, he doesn’t see an optimistic future for his refugee claim and the plight of the Hungarian Roma. His most recent hearing for permanent residency in September was rescheduled because the judge was sick. He is still waiting for a new appointment to be made.
Overall, he says he feels isolated from Canadians. But then again, Tim says the situation in Canada is still better than the realities facing him back in Hungary. He says he’d be going back to nothing.
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