It has been a year of milestones for the community-led refugee resettlement program Operation #NotForgotten (ONF) – reuniting long-separated families, wiping away burdensome debts and celebrating new citizenships.
ONF is a partnership between RCOA, Canadian NGO MOSAIC, and the volunteer group Ads Up Canada. As a collective, we support refugees held in offshore detention in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Nauru to resettle in Canada through Canada’s private sponsorship program.
People detained on PNG and Nauru remain barred from gaining residency in Australia – a policy supported by both the current Labor Government and the Opposition.
In April, ONF marked the arrival of the 100th person resettled through the program.
Nurul Amin welcomed the arrival of his wife Umme and 13-year-old daughter Safima at Vancouver Airport. It was the first time Nurul had met his daughter.
Nurul and Umme fled the place they were born, a Bangladeshi camp for Rohingya refugees. Stateless, without ID, and only the barest hope for survival. Just before the birth of their daughter, the family were separated, with Nurul locked away in detention in Nauru, while his wife remained in Malaysia.
Nurul was finally resettled in Canada in October 2023. It would be another 18 months before the family, with the assistance of ONF, would be reunited.
By August 2025, 117 people had been resettled through ONF, including 77 who had been held in offshore detention and 40 long-separated family members. Another 78 people are still waiting, with their applications being processed or under consideration by the Canadian Government.
This year also brought a breakthrough in easing the financial burden on ONF-sponsored refugees.
Thanks to four years of sustained advocacy by RCOA, the Australian Government has reimbursed AU$264,000 in travel loan debts incurred by these refugees. Under the Canadian process, travel is arranged through the International Organization for Migration, but new arrivals must begin repaying the loan one year after arrival.
With other countries like the US and New Zealand receiving Australian support to resettle offshore detainees, we strongly advocated for parity for those going to Canada. The process took time, but it succeeded. Every dollar repaid represents one less hurdle on the path to rebuilding a life.
In July, MOSAIC staff celebrated another emotional milestone: Nurul was granted Canadian citizenship. He told the ONF coordinators who had helped him achieve safety and stability for his family:
It means my long journey of 15 years, my fight with loneliness and very dark days, is finally over. Becoming a citizen feels like finally being seen and like I’m no longer in limbo. It’s not just a passport; it’s a sense of stability, pride, and a new chapter I’ve worked so hard to reach.
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