All Hanadi Albarazanji wants is to reunite her family.

The White Rock resident last saw two of her three children in person five years ago, just before she fled war-torn Syria with her youngest daughter, Juman, to start a new life in Canada.

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The family didn害羞草研究所檛 have enough money for everyone to leave together, and as they were already adults, the older siblings 害羞草研究所� son Kenan, now 27, and daughter Yaman, 24 害羞草研究所� also didn害羞草研究所檛 qualify as dependents under the same immigration application, she said.

But arriving here, Albarazanji, who was sponsored by her aunt, had hoped their steps to a fresh start would be similar to her own: a sponsor would be found and the process of relocating would unfold.

However, while her husband Emad was able to join her and their daughter in Canada, 害羞草研究所渄ramatic害羞草研究所� changes 害羞草研究所� including the closure of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan borders to Syrians, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) no longer automatically issuing refugee status to Syrians if they are able to leave 害羞草研究所� not to mention pandemic-related delays 害羞草研究所� have left Albarazanji wondering if she害羞草研究所檒l ever see her eldest children face-to-face again.

害羞草研究所淢y kids are essentially stuck in Syria and we have little to no chance of having our family be together in the foreseeable future,害羞草研究所� Albarazanji said.

害羞草研究所淲hen I see people talking (about) how much they are sad because the holidays and 害羞草研究所� Christmas and they can害羞草研究所檛 be together (because of the pandemic)害羞草研究所� I feel like maybe next year you will meet them. But I can害羞草研究所檛.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 very scared that I害羞草研究所檒l die and I won害羞草研究所檛 see them.害羞草研究所�

Immigration consultant Amr Shehata said Albarazanji害羞草研究所檚 situation highlights a crack in the 害羞草研究所渙ne-year window application害羞草研究所� process through which newly landed refugees can reunite with their immediate family members who are not yet in Canada: it only applies to spouses and dependent children.

On top of that, a refugee is defined as someone who has left their home country out of fear and availed themselves of the protection of the Canadian government, Shehata said.

害羞草研究所淲hich means they cannot go back to their home country while that regime is still there,害羞草研究所� he continued. 害羞草研究所淎t the same time, these two members of the family害羞草研究所� are in Syria. They fall within that crack of one-year window, into nowhere.害羞草研究所�

Kenan and Yaman also cannot be privately sponsored as refugees because they are still in Syria, he said 害羞草研究所� a problem that is difficult to rectify with borders of the tangent countries closed.

害羞草研究所淭he only other place is Iraq,害羞草研究所� Shehata said. 害羞草研究所淪o it will be害羞草研究所� into the fire if you went from Syria to Iraq. Doesn害羞草研究所檛 really make any sense.害羞草研究所�

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Albarazanji, who was raised in the United Arab Emirates, said she is becoming increasingly distressed by the situation. Since arriving in Canada, she has 害羞草研究所渏oined all the opportunities I had害羞草研究所� in an effort to become part of the community, even volunteering with the non-profit MOSAIC organization. It was all 害羞草研究所渢o have a good life with my kids,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淣ow, everything I害羞草研究所檝e done, I feel it is worthless. I can害羞草研究所檛 get my kids here, and they are very good kids. I know they will be a good fit here in Canada.害羞草研究所�

Albarazanji worries her humanitarian and compassion application could take 害羞草研究所渁nother four or five years, if it works,害羞草研究所� and Shehata confirmed there are no guarantees.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 totally discretionary, the officer may accept, may not accept,害羞草研究所� he said.

He noted that Canada has created temporary policies in the past to assist immigrants in reuniting with their families, and pointed to government害羞草研究所檚 Caring for Children Program 害羞草研究所� which ended in June 2019 害羞草研究所� as one example. It created a pathway to permanent residence for women who came from a visa-required country for home-care work, he said.

害羞草研究所淎 lot of people in the profession knew the stress and the struggle that these ladies had,害羞草研究所� Shehata said. 害羞草研究所淭hey left their home, they left their kids and they came to Canada to take care of our kids, and after that, there was no clear hope for them.

害羞草研究所淏ut now, there is kind of a policy, a kind of program that allowing even if you didn害羞草研究所檛 disclose a family member, you can disclose them now and they can still be sponsored.

害羞草研究所淭here are similar cases where the government was responsive and supportive, let害羞草研究所檚 put it like that.

害羞草研究所淢aybe Hanadi is one example, but I bet there are thousands of these families 害羞草研究所� a mother that really cannot do anything for their kids.害羞草研究所�

If the government did do something similar to the Caring for Children Program, 害羞草研究所渢his would be a new community,害羞草研究所� he said.

Stories like Albarazanji害羞草研究所檚 are heartbreaking, he added.

害羞草研究所淪he has been waiting for a long time. Most painful part, she doesn害羞草研究所檛 know for how long she should be waiting, and even if she waited for that time, what would happen next.

害羞草研究所淪he cannot see a light by the end of the tunnel, as simple as that.害羞草研究所�