Migrant Justice

KAIROS’ Calls to Action 2024

January 31, 2024

We regard this time with increasing alarm. Canada and the world are grappling with the pandemic’s aftermath, horrific wars, the erosion of democracy and rise in global temperatures and its catastrophic impacts. Our global partners continue to report increases in…

Post filed in: Calls To Action, Corporate Accountability, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

Two Navigating the compassion crossroads: a reflection on the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Fall 2023 Consultation

December 21, 2023

In a world marked by shifting geopolitical landscapes and humanitarian challenges, Canada stands as a beacon of hope for those seeking refuge and a better life. This message struck me when I attended the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Fall 2023…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Join the movement to end abuses against migrants. Join the rally September 17

September 5, 2023

Migrants and their allies are mobilizing once again on September 17. The message we will deliver to the Canadian government is loud and clear – Regularize Everyone: It’s time.  Join the Migrant Rights Network on September 17 for a massive…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

In solidarity with asylum seekers and frontline churches and organizations

July 31, 2023

KAIROS Canada stands in solidarity with asylum seekers who have been forced to live on the streets of Toronto, and with the churches and frontline organizations that are assisting them. We call on all levels of government to respond appropriately…

Post filed in: Human Rights, Migrant Justice, Social Justice, Statements

KAIROS unpacks Budget 2023

April 5, 2023

Budget 2023 was delivered at a time of high inflation and national debt – and a challenge from Canada’s largest trading partner to step up investment in clean energy.   It was no surprise then that the budget, announced on March…

Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

KAIROS Wish List 2023

February 1, 2023

KAIROS 2023 WISH LIST  As we emerge from a year of mounting crises, we are encouraged by the growing calls to center the leadership of Indigenous peoples, women, and youth in decisions related to transitioning to a just and sustainable…

Post filed in: Calls To Action, Corporate Accountability, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

KAIROS urges full regularization of the undocumented from federal government

December 16, 2022

The federal government is discussing the terms of a regularization program for people who are undocumented in Canada. KAIROS Canada has been calling for Status for All for years. On December 15, Aisha Francis, KAIROS’ Executive Director, sent a letter…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Connecting the dots

September 28, 2022

Remember connect-the-dots pictures? Many are incredibly simple (like this bunny) – the image sometimes could even be discerned without drawing the lines between dots. But some pictures are much more complicated, with the picture emerging from all those unconnected points…

Post filed in: Corporate Accountability, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

Ecumenical support for migrant rights and status for all

September 20, 2022

Four denominations involved in the global movement of Churches Witnessing with Migrants (CWWM) wrote to the Canadian government on September 8 in support of permanent residency for migrant workers and the regularization of undocumented migrants. The heads of the Anglican…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Join the Rally & March: Rights, Regularization, Status for All!

September 6, 2022

The Migrant Workers Alliance is building a massive mobilization on Sunday, September 18 in cities across Canada. Please join this unprecedented opportunity to win permanent resident status for nearly 1.7 million migrants and stop deportations. You are encouraged to organize…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Post-COVID, migrant worker issues remain

May 17, 2022

by  Michael Swan, The Catholic Register

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

MEDIA RELEASE: KAIROS’ Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project will fund migrant justice program partners to September 30, 2022

May 11, 2022

(Ottawa – unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabek (original) People’s) – The Government of Canada has extended the successful KAIROS-run Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 (ETFW) project until September 30, 2022. The Government of Canada has provided an additional…

Post filed in: Media Releases, Migrant Justice

KAIROS launches new resources for the health and safety of migrant agricultural workers

March 24, 2022

KAIROS Canada’s Empowering Temporary Foreign Worker (ETFW) Project will be hosting a special event to launch new resources for temporary foreign workers. These resources, developed with community partners in the project across Ontario and the Maritimes, represent a diverse range…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Online ecumenical meetings in solidarity with migrant workers

February 24, 2022

An invitation to all churches and church representatives   We invite you to be part of a network of solidarity. Migrant workers – on the farms and elsewhere – are feeling the stress of going into the third growing season of…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice, Regional News

KAIROS wish list 2022

February 1, 2022

As Canada and the world grapples with multiple crises, including pandemic related impacts and extreme weather events fueled by global heating, KAIROS calls on all levels of government in Canada to prioritize a just and equitable recovery. This includes a…

Post filed in: Calls To Action, Corporate Accountability, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

Migrant food providers thanked through gratitude dinners

December 22, 2021

As the end of the year draws near, organizations in Ontario held dinners to show support and gratitude to the temporary foreign workers who play a vital role during the harvest season. As the migrant workers prepared to head home…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

20 years of kairos moments for migrant justice #KAIROS20

December 21, 2021

I started working for KAIROS in November 1997 when it wasn’t yet called KAIROS. I was employed by the Inter-Church Action for Development, Relief and Justice (ICA), which served as the ecumenical funding arm of the churches and was one of the ten ecumenical organizations that became KAIROS in 2001.  I served as…

Post filed in: #KAIROS20 Anniversary, Migrant Justice

Welcoming new partners to the ETFW project

November 2, 2021

With the next phase of the Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers During COVID-19 Project in progress, KAIROS Canada would like to highlight new partners that have joined us for Phase 2!   The Windsor-Essex Bilingual Legal Clinic/C.A.R.E for International Workers Program assists temporary foreign…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

A day of thanks for Uxbridge Nurseries farm and its migrant workers

November 2, 2021

It was a beautiful day on October 17 for a drive to the Uxbridge/Brooklin area to partake at a Thanksgiving lunch for migrant workers, hosted by KAIROS’ Community Partner, Migrant Worker Solidarity Program at ACDR (Aids Committee for Durham Region), one of 15 partners of KAIROS’ Empowering Temporary…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

KAIROS Mandate Letters to the Prime Minister of Canada

October 25, 2021

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,  We at KAIROS write to you during a kairos moment, when multiple crises have converged and opportunities arise for transformational change. In our work we advocate for such change in elevating the rights and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples, women, temporary foreign workers, and ecological systems.   The climate crisis and COVID-19,…

Post filed in: Corporate Accountability, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice

Giving thanks to migrant workers, meaningfully

October 4, 2021

Migrant workers were very much present in Leamington when I drove through its streets one Sunday in September. It was their day off, and they were busily grocery shopping, banking and socializing.    These workers are vital to this agricultural community, located south of Windsor and home to the…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

MEDIA RELEASE: KAIROS’ empowering migrant workers project receives new federal funding

October 1, 2021

Government of Canada injects $1.896M into KAIROS’ Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project (Ottawa – unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabek (original) People’s) – The Government of Canada has awarded KAIROS Canada $1,896,308 to continue its successful Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project to support…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Celebrating migrant workers in Leamington, ON

September 23, 2021

On Sunday, September 12, the KAIROS Canada Migrant Justice team traveled to Leamington, Ontario to celebrate Grito de Dolores, or Mexico’s Independence Day. Hosted by the Migrant Worker Community Program, the event was an opportunity for migrant workers from the farms around Leamington to enjoy the summer evening, relax, listen to…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

In loving memory of Francisco Rico-Martinez

August 25, 2021

For everything there is a season,A time for every activity under heaven:A time to be born and a time to die.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  KAIROS joins the refugee, migrant, and social justice community in Canada in expressing our heartfelt condolences to Loly Rico, her family, and the staff and community of the…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Migration and Precarity Policy Brief

June 13, 2021

In partnership with Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), the Health and Immigration Policies and Practices Research Program (HIPP) recently completed a study on the transition of temporary foreign workers to other statuses, including permanent resident, student and undocumented migrant status.  The report…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Invaluable foreign migrant workers need status

June 9, 2021

Permanent residency would mean: full benefits; the freedom to leave abusive employers without fear of deportation and lost income; and a gateway to citizenship. Foreign migrant workers are integral to Canada’s economic and social fabric. This became obvious when the…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

Letter to PM on a Regularization Program for Non-Status Temporary Foreign Workers

May 25, 2021

KAIROS applauds the Government of Canada for recently opening permanent residency applications to 50,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) with status in health care and other essential sectors. KAIROS, however, recognizing the urgent need to broaden the scope of this opportunity…

Post filed in: Migrant Justice

KAIROS supports temporary foreign workers at Toronto Pearson Airport

May 18, 2021

New offering part of the federally funded Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project  (Ottawa, ON) – KAIROS is adding airport support services to its Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers (ETFW) during COVID-19 project to welcome, inform and assist arriving migrant workers on COVID-19 quarantine measures, vaccinations, and additional supports.   Funded by the Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, KAIROS’ ETFW…

Post filed in: Media Releases, Migrant Justice