Canada: Follow-up to CAN37588.E of 4 September 2001 on the Toronto Kurdish Community and Information Centre (TKCIC)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 24 September 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CAN37894.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada: Follow-up to CAN37588.E of 4 September 2001 on the Toronto Kurdish Community and Information Centre (TKCIC), 24 September 2001, CAN37894.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be194.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following response is based on a letter received from the president of the Toronto Kurdish Community and Information Centre (TKCIC) dated 10 September 2001.
The TKCIC is able to verify whether a letter stating an individual's Kurdish identity was issued by TKCIC. As well as issuing such letters only on TKCIC's letterhead, for the past 12 months the Centre has kept records of to whom such letters have been issued and is beginning to place a serial number starting at 00001 on all such letters. Where necessary, an "authorized representative" of TKCIC would be willing to personally review and validate the letter's legitimacy.
As TKCIC's members include Kurds from Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Central Asia, the process involved in determining whether an individual is Kurdish is made easier with the assistance of a member from the same region as the person being screened.
If the individual being screened speaks or understands a Kurdish dialect, that individual is interviewed by a TKCIC member who speaks the same dialect. The applicant is further questioned on his/her place of birth, the place of birth of his/her parents, and on the geographic, social, cultural and folkloric specifics of the identified region of origin. The TKCIC's executive committee oversees the entire process.
The President also wanted to note that the "Canadian Alevi Center has been providing 'Kurdish' papers to Turks recognizable by our community patrons."
If an individual claims that his/her Kurdish identity had been confirmed by TKCIC but that no letter had been issued, or that an application fee or a donation was requested before such a letter would be issued, that claim would be fraudulent. TKCIC does not request a fee for this service.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Toronto Kurdish Community and Information Centre (TKCIC). Toronto. 10 September 2001. Correspondence from the President.
