Pearson airport sees fresh influx of Roma refugee claimants
The number of Czech refugee claimants fell after Canada imposed a visa on Czech visitors in 1997 after 1,000 applied for asylum.
The 95 Roma refugee claimants who arrived at Pearson International Airport last week are part of a sudden influx into southern Ontario, and police say they are expecting more.
When the government lifted the requirement in 2007 along with other newly admitted EU countries, 78 Czech people applied for refugee status. The following year, 853 applied, and the stream has continued.