.... but the Government of Canada knew where he and his family lived when it invited them to come to Canada.  Remember that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States who were accepted as members of the United Nations refused to sign the U.N. Convention on Refugees, so they refuse to recognize refugees, nor accept any associated obligations under the U.N. refugee framework. That is something that really needs to change. This family accepted the invitation from one of the western nations that signed the U.N. Convention on Refugees -- that's how the system works.