1) Immigration of Armenians to Soviet Armenia; 2) Citizenship status of those emigrating to Soviet Armenia; 3) Current political and economic situation in Soviet Armenia; 4) Treatment of recent immigrants to Soviet Armenia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SUN3187 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 1) Immigration of Armenians to Soviet Armenia; 2) Citizenship status of those emigrating to Soviet Armenia; 3) Current political and economic situation in Soviet Armenia; 4) Treatment of recent immigrants to Soviet Armenia, 1 December 1989, SUN3187, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab292e.html [accessed 18 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. |
1) Spokespersons from both the Armenian Cultural Association in Ottawa and the Armenian Community Centre in Toronto stated that there was a large movement of ethnic Armenians to Soviet Armenia immediately after the Second World War. This information was corroborated by Manuel Keusseyan, a member of the Armenian community in Montreal. All three of these sources further pointed out that individual cases of immigration to Soviet Armenia still occur, but they are isolated incidents and usually involve ethnic Armenians living in the Middle East. The spokesperson for the Armenian Community Centre in Toronto pointed out that current immigration is usually sponsored by the Soviet Armenian government. The spokesperson for the Ottawa centre added that while return to Soviet Armenia is very rare, there are actually more Armenians than Jewish people emigrating from the Soviet Union. Mr. Keusseyan stated that immigration to Soviet Armenia is very difficult. Not only does the prospective immigrant require an invitation from relatives in Soviet Armenia, he or she also requires a reference from a Pro-Soviet Armenian organization. If accepted for immigration, the waiting time is usually one year.
The Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Ottawa was unable to provide any information on this topic. The information provided by the oral sources listed above cannot be corroborated in the published and publicly-available sources regularly consulted by the IRBDC.
2) The citizenship status of people immigrating to Soviet Armenia is not available to the IRBDC at the present time. The Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Ottawa was unable to provide any information on this topic.
3) For information on the current political and economic situation in Soviet Armenia, please consult the attached documentation. The excerpt from Encyclopedia Britannica provides a more general overview of the region. No sources are currently available to the IRBDC which provide a comparative analysis of the socio-economic situation of Soviet Armenia and its neighbours.
The spokesperson for the Armenian Cultural Association in Ottawa noted that in his opinion, the Armenians enjoy an above-average standard of living for the Soviet Union in general. However, he noted that the devastating earthquake of December 1988 and the blockade of rail traffic by the neighbouring Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic have combined to threaten the living standards. This information was corroborated by Mr. Keusseyan, who added that the political and economic situation in Soviet Armenia is presently "chaotic" and unlikely to improve in the near future.
4) No information is currently available on this topic in the published and publicly-available sources regularly consulted by the IRBDC.
