AFGH – Initial Evacuation Efforts – April 25, 2022
Key messages
As NATO troops began withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1, 2021, increased security risks in Afghanistan led Canada to proactively prepare for the evacuation of its embassy including our locally engaged staff (LES).
We initiated the development of required public policies in support of special immigration measures that would facilitate the resettlement of Locally Engaged Staff, as well as other Afghan nationals who were employed or contracted by the Government of Canada.
On July 30, 2021, The Prime Minister approved CAF to conduct evacuation operations in Afghanistan. Operation AEGIS was launched by DND/CAF to support the Government of Canada’s evacuation of designated Afghan personnel and their families from Kabul, Afghanistan. As a result, the Government of Canada started evacuating people out of Afghanistan with CAF assets on August 4, 2021.
In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Canada contributed to a coalition effort that saw more than 100,000 people evacuated out of Afghanistan to various countries.
The Government of Canada and our allies were able to get more than 3,700 evacuees out of Kabul and to Canada thanks to collective efforts by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), our allies and the bravery of Afghan nationals.
We had to remain nimble and adapt to an ever-changing environment as we worked to get as many people out as possible.
Because of the grave security conditions on the ground, the Government of Canada announced the end of evacuation operations on August 26, 2021. Canada, like our allies, would have remained in Afghanistan longer to continue the evacuation, but the security situation did not permit the safe continuation of our efforts.
Canada continues to be deeply concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in Afghanistan and the risks it poses for many vulnerable Afghans.
The Government of Canada remains committed to Afghanistan and the Afghan people, and it will continue to do all it can to support them.
Supplementary messages
On the ground
Canada’s military operation in Afghanistan ended in 2014. A military security provision for the Canadian Embassy in Kabul (ended in 2019) and military training continued. As a result, there was no Canadian military mission employing interpreters or other locally engaged staff in 2021.
Up until August 15, 2021, Canada had a permanent mission in Kabul staffed by Canada-based officers and Afghan locally engaged staff. Although IRCC did not maintain a permanent presence at the Embassy in Kabul, IRCC staff had been on the ground since July 2021 and there were four IRCC Canada-based staff in Kabul on August 15, 2021.
The Government of Canada was evacuating people before the fall of Kabul. During the evacuation efforts after the fall of Kabul, CAF supported IRCC and GAC in a joint operation (AEGIS) by providing strategic airlift capabilities to assist in evacuations alongside IRCC-chartered flights. Coordination between CAF and IRCC was achieved through the Interdepartmental Task Force, led by GAC.
Before the closure of the Canadian air bridge on August 26, 2021, we safely evacuated more than 3,700 persons from the Kabul airport in a matter of weeks.
Processing
Applications for Afghan nationals were processed as quickly as possible in light of the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan. While the Canadian air bridge was open, IRCC mobilized its entire global network to prioritize evacuees from Afghanistan.
Our networks also implemented priority processing in August 2021 for Immediate Family Members of Canadians and Permanent Residents.
Mobilizing for Flights
Canada’s priority during the evacuation and after the fall of Kabul was to support Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members, as well vulnerable Afghans, who had assisted Canada, to get to Canada as safely as possible in an extremely volatile and ever-changing environment.
IRCC sought to communicate with clients about evacuation flights while navigating the deteriorating security situation on the ground. When the Taliban took control, travel to the airport became extremely dangerous and difficult.
Because of this, the Government of Canada sent out letters to facilitate travel of Global Affairs Canada’s consular clients (i.e., Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members) to the airport in Kabul. Feedback from the consular clients was that the letter was effective in getting through Taliban checkpoints en route to the airport.
In order to help facilitate the evacuation of vulnerable Afghans, the Government of Canada sent a similar letter directly to impacted IRCC clients. The letter was intended to assist them in getting through checkpoints on the way to the airport and to help them gain entry to the airport or airport staging site in Kabul. IRCC also contacted clients directly about the purpose of this letter, safety considerations and next steps regarding the evacuation and their applications.
There have been reports that third parties have created similar (but fraudulent) letters and that some individuals may have received these communications. Legitimate letters were only sent directly to impacted IRCC clients and GAC consular clients via email from the Government of Canada.
The letters issued by IRCC updating clients on their application processing are strictly intended to advise clients that their applications are ready for the next stage of processing which may only be completed in a third country. They are not an authorization or approval for onward travel or entry into Canada.
Program integrity is of utmost importance to IRCC. Knowledge of fraud, in this case with respect to IRCC letters, is examined and handled accordingly. If applicable, the potential fraud is referred to our enforcement partners for further investigation and possible enforcement under their legal authorities.
Responsive: Recent committee focus on “Empty Planes”
My colleague, the Minister of Defence, may have more to say on this, but during the air bridge, the evacuation flights operated by CAF were maximized to take more vulnerable Afghans than initially expected.
From an IRCC perspective, the total of 3,700 evacuees out of Kabul was only made possible by a 24/7, collective effort by GAC/IRCC/DNDCAF to make full use of evacuation flights and exit routes within the context of a very fluid security situation.
We continue to fulfill our obligation to Afghans at-risk, including the families of those with significant/enduring relationships with the Government of Canada.
Supporting facts and figures
Background
Chronology
The CAF deployed a Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) to Kabul as early as April 24, 2021, in order to provide support to planning related to the rapid evacuation of the Canadian Embassy in Kabul (CEK). Under Op AEGIS the CAF, in close cooperation with Allies and partners, worked tirelessly to create safe passage to evacuate at-risk Afghans from Kabul.
In late 2020/early 2021, IRCC and GAC began discussions on the possibility of special measures.
In July 2021, IRCC staff arrived in Kabul to support processing. The objective was to complete as much processing as possible prior to any evacuation order being given.
On July 23, 2021, the Government of Canada announced special immigration measures to offer refuge to Afghans who assisted Canada.
On August 13, 2021, Taliban forces captured Kandahar and Herat, the country’s second and third largest cities. In response, IRCC staff in Kabul, along with their GAC counterparts, are advised of the Government of Canada decision to evacuate. All IRCC client-related activities are halted and work begins to urgently destroy all potentially compromising material/equipment consistent with an embassy evacuation procedure. Staff worked 24/7 to urgently undertake this work as Taliban were also approaching the Green Zone and had entered Kabul. For security purposes biometric equipment and visa counterfoils were also destroyed.
On August 15, 2021, all GoC personnel left Kabul following closure of the Canadian Embassy.
On August 16, 2021, Taliban fighters take Kabul and begin negotiations with senior Afghan government officials concerning transfer of power. The rapidly deteriorating situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul further complicates evacuation efforts.
On August 26, 2021, after warnings of a terror threat, there were two explosions next to one of the airport gates, resulting in several deaths and injuries, including the death of 13 U.S. military personnel.
On August 26, 2021, IRCC advises all Special Immigration Measures (SIMs) clients that evacuation operations have ended, no further flights were planned and no Government of Canada presence remained in Afghanistan. Clients were provided email addresses to remain in contact with IRCC and were assured that processing of their applications would continue.
On August 30, 2021, IRCC, advised all their SIM clients that the facilitation letters for travel to Hamid Karzai International Airport were issued during the evacuation period to navigate checkpoints and no longer serves a purpose.
On August 30, 2021, IRCC’s operational focus shifted to Afghans in third countries. In addition, IRCC focused on developing measures to overcome processing barriers, such as Enhanced Biographic data collection to mitigate lack of biometrics, for clients in Afghanistan.
