Israel, Mexico added to list of ‘safe’ countries by immigration officials

OTTAWA – Eight more countries have been added to a list immigration officials are now using to fast-track certain refugee claims.

People from Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and three European countries will now have their refugee claims reviewed differently than those from many other countries.

Refugee claimants from Israel will also be scrutinized, unless they are from the West Bank or Gaza.

The eight countries were added to a list of 27 others announced in December by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

The designated countries of origin list is part of recently passed legislation that Kenney has said is designed to crack down on fraudulent refugee claims clogging the system.

Claimants from countries on the list have their refugee hearings faster and lose certain avenues of appeal if their claims are turned down.