European Union Countries: Canada

Canada Dept: Twenty-five European Union countries, along with the United States and Croatia, are capable of protecting their nationals, and asylum claims from these nations will be put under a new expedited process that takes effect Saturday, said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, according to The Star. Mexico, Canada s major trading partner and source of refugees, is not designated, but is under review as the list grows and despite documented discrimination against Roma in Europe, a major ethnic group seeking asylum in Canada, Ottawa has designated all but two EU member states safe for refugees. The only exempted EU countries are Bulgaria and Romania, where citizens need visas to enter Canada a measure that has deterred their Roma from arriving for asylum. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.