A Canadian man tried for months to get his sister out of war-torn Sudan. She died waiting

When the federal government launched a program in late February to reunite people in war-torn Sudan with their families in Canada, Seif Omran Mansour was ready.

The West Vancouver civil engineer got up at the crack of dawn and waited at his computer so he would be first in line to apply on behalf of his two sisters and their families.

Seven months later, Mansour is still waiting. And his eldest sister is dead.

«If the process was a little bit efficient and also fast, expedited, she would have been in Canada and she would have never been through this,» Mansour told host Nil Köksal.

«This is injustice, and that injustice and the sluggishness of this process, is costing life.»

Monsour, whose story was first reported by the Globe and Mail, is one of thousands of Sudanese Canadians who are wrestling with red tape trying to bring their families to safety through the federal reunification program.

Created to respond to the civil war, the program offers a permanent residence pathway for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and residents.

The program reached its cap of 3,250 applications for 7,300 people, in June. But, so far, not a single person has arrived in Canada, or been approved to come.

Michelle Carbert a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, told CBC the agency is reviewing applications «as quickly as possible.»

«It is important to note that permanent resident programs, such as the humanitarian pathway in Sudan, include multiple assessment steps before an application is approved,» Carbert said in an emailed statement.

«When responding to international crises, Canada tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support.»

Outside of the program, she says more than 2,600