These refugees are desperate to get to Canada. But for some, the wait is almost 4 years long, and growing

A woman who fled Syria three years ago says ongoing immigration delays mean her life is at risk every day as she desperately waits to come to Canada. 

Nour and her friend, Fouad, escaped from Syria to Lebanon in 2019 with hopes of coming to Canada. Fouad had serious heart problems and was waiting to come to Canada for treatment. 

Nour remembers the night when Fouad sent a WhatsApp message saying he hoped his refugee application would be expedited. 

"A day after that text, he died," Nour said.

"Fouad used to say he'll go to Canada and bring me there. Now, I'm just afraid that I'm not going to make it to Canada but to where he is."

CBC is using only Nour's first name to protect her safety. Nour connected with CBC News from Lebanon with the help of a translator. 

The 37-year-old gay woman had submitted her refugee application to the federal government on May 25, 2020. She said the processing time was 24 months then. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) website, the current processing time for refugee applications from Lebanon is now 46 months long. And some immigration experts say the process seems to favour applicants in certain countries over others.

"Forty-six months is just horrible. My life is getting wasted. I'm shocked by the delay, depressed and losing hope that I'd ever leave Lebanon," Nour said.

CBC reported earlier this month that with nearly 1.8 million immigration applications in IRCC's backlog, there are ongoing delays. Federal officials attribute the backlog to the pandemic, saying ongoing international travel restrictions and limited operational capacity overseas has created barriers.

According to the IRCC, as of Dec. 15 Canada has 114,046 refugee applications — 41,619 government-assisted and 72,427 privately sponsored refugees — that are yet to be processed. The number has increased by 1,654 applications since Oct. 27.

In an email statement, IRCC said Canada has resettled more than 12,000 refugees between March 2020 and Aug. 2021.

As a privately sponsored applicant through Capital Rainbow Refuge, a group that sponsors LGBTQ refugees, Nour had hoped the process would be faster as her safety's at risk.

Nour was recently harassed by a policeman who forcefully took her contact details. 

"He started calling me to blackmail for sex. I took the courage to block him," she said. "But I'm afraid to walk down the street. I cannot change my house as nobody rents [to] us easily."