Advocates sound alarm over children without status being denied education in Alberta

Education and migrant rights advocates say they are deeply concerned by reports that children of undocumented workers are being denied the ability to attend school.

Concerns were brought forward at an Edmonton Public School Board meeting on Dec. 10 by two youths and members of the public.

Marco Luciano, director of migrant rights group Migrante Alberta, told CBC News children of undocumented workers being denied education is a long-standing issue. 

"It's the tip of the iceberg ... and we are looking into it. At the moment ... we think there's more and more undocumented children," said Luciano, who said the organization has been made aware of at least six children who have not been allowed to attend school. 

Migrante Alberta launched the campaign Education 4 All two years ago to raise awareness among governments and policy-makers about the issue. 

Luciano said the issue of precarity for migrant workers and those without status has worsened following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government is scheduled to announce its planned permanent resident admissions for the next two years.

Researchers expect the government to reduce how many people it admits each year — down from about 485,000 in 2024. 

Advocates have said bringing in temporary workers without a chance to attain permanent status puts them in a precarious position. 

Temporary foreign workers can lose their status for a myriad of reasons with the journey of re-establishing status made difficult by the many bureaucratic loopholes of Canada's immigration system, according to advocates. 

Those without status are often shuffled between municipal, provincial and federal officials in an attempt to find a resolution to re-establishing status. 

CBC spoke to two youths who said they are scared school authorities will pull them out of class for circumstances beyond their control after both their families became undocumented. 

Dayana Rodriguez, 17, said having to deal with this situation as a teenager has been daunting. 

"I feel like it's been a long time since I felt really in a safe place, my hopes [for] me and my family, is to have our [permanent] residence and ... not have to worry about this," said Rodriguez, whose family came to Canada from Mexico for a safer life.