[Part 1]

By: Stephen A.Quaye

Recently I put an article out there which was carried by Ghana Web, Peace F.M. Modern Ghana as well as many other media websites. The article which was titled,” WHAT AWAITS YOU IF YOU ENTER THESE COUNTRIES BORDERS ILLEGALLY” was purposefully to educate the masses who want to migrate to these countries to know what awaits them if they do not use proper procedures. It is so surprising to learn that such a piece which was to serve as a guide to would be immigrants was misunderstood some how along the line as some commentators fired back misquoting me saying that it was easy and trouble free to enter America and Canada borders illegally. For those who did not get the import of that article and went ahead to confuse others , it will be proper for them to read this article and learn something good from it this time since it will help them. The average annual salary for the poor worker in Ghana could be fixed at 3,000 dollars whiles those with better conditions of service and above poor conditions could be fixed at 24,000 dollars annually. Investigations have revealed that an average annual salary for the poor worker in Bangladesh is 1,000 dollars whiles that of Somalia are 650 dollars annually, according to the Toronto Sun report. So looking at this disturbing figures of annual salaries of workers in these countries, why won’t their citizens consider attempting to illegally migrate to countries like United Kingdom, London to be precise, America, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Canada and the host of others where it is believed that life is worth living there. But is that enough excuse for some of our brothers and sisters to leave mother Africa to these parts of the world where they realize later that life was not even easy at all as it was conceived? If you know what awaits you when you enter Canada borders illegally, you will not first of all consider making any attempt to enter Canada borders illegally. It is a country of pure democracy, rule of law, a police state which offers all the opportunities for you to explore only if you are authorized to stay in the country. However all the benefits as well as the opportunities it offers elude you if you enter its borders illegally. What awaits you if you enter its borders illegally is simple. A removal from the country and if you try to go underground you will be arrested and be deported out of the country. Surprised? Oh maybe you do not know that otherwise you won’t scream upon mentioning what awaits you if enter Canada borders illegally. Yes because if you knew that, you would have realized why the country is currently seeking to remove about 9,200 failed refugees who go underground in Toronto area alone annually with 44,000 offenders being sought for nationwide. It is really not healthy to enter Canada’s border illegally because in the first place you will miss all the benefits such as health insurance and social security services which enables you to access health care and work in freedom like any other legal immigrant does. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada reports, about 35,000 government-sponsored and other refugee claimants arrive in Canada every year. About 42 per cent of them are accepted by immigration and refugee board whiles about 9,200 of them as failed claimants go underground in Toronto area alone annually. Who are these refugee claimants the immigration services is talking about? They are persons from war ravaged countries who have escaped the heat of it and want to make a living here in Canada. But the immigration sector has discovered that, most of these people are those who have entered the country’s border illegally and trying to secure their status claim refugee status first and then get their permanent stay and so on. Let us check a story which was carried by the Toronto Sun on August 18, 2011 with the headline,” HUNT FOR ILLEGALS” which hinted that the country is hiring 95 armed border agents to crack down on more than 9,200 failed refugee claimants who go underground yearly. Three hundred and fifty enforcement officers of the Canada Border Services Agency will be removing the more than 9,200 failed refugee claimants yearly as it hopes the new agency will help deport an additional 4,200 failed claimants bringing the total to 13,400 yearly. In the same edition, another story titled “NO WHERE TO HIDE”, the immigration ministry released the photographs of 32 dangerous fugitives who are among 1,400 serious foreign criminals who are sought for in the Toronto area. Already seven of them have been removed from the country. With this facts and figures, how can one with the knowledge of what is going as far as dealing with illegal immigrations in the country is concern pretend otherwise and say it is very save to enter Canada borders illegally? MISQUOTATION In the next article I will show you how some foreign diplomats entered the country illegally and tried to legalize their stay but failed in their bid and will be removed from the country very soon. NEHO ASEM ARA NYEN. End.