The Government said “robust health and security screening” will be completed overseas and beginning in December, transportation via privately chartered aircraft, with military aircraft assisting if needed, will be organised.
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It sends the strong message that Canada will continue to welcome refugees, that they are important to building a stronger and better Canada, and that their successful resettlement and integration has been a key part of our country’s history.
Syrian refugees must be Syrian nationals or stateless persons living outside Syria and must be registered with UNHCR, or with the government of Turkey.
He’s not quite saying “I told you so” – but the Conservative MP for Huron-Bruce never thought the Trudeau government’s goal of bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by year’s end was possible.
“However, if even a small number of individuals who wish to do harm to our country are able to enter Canada as a result of a rushed refugee resettlement process, the results could be devastating”.
– By the end of the month, just over 1,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada, meaning the government missed its deadline.
During the election campaign, the Liberals initially promised to resettle 25,000 people by government means alone.
Any refugees earmarked to move to Canada will be screened before arrival.
He says military personnel will help with screening and processing overseas prior to flights to Canada, including biometrics such as fingerprinting and digital photos.
Although the government won’t have control over where refugees ultimately stay, it will avoid sending one family by itself to a community, instead dispatching them in clusters of perhaps 10 if there are no existing family links.
Ottawa is planning to keep its promise of selecting 15,000 additional government sponsored refugees after February 2016 and through the rest of 2016, it appears.
The pledge to accept refugees was a cornerstone of the commitments by new PM Justin Trudeau.
Parsi’s group has helped more than 550 Iranians get refugee status, often through a treacherous journey to safehouses in Turkey.
The federal government has finally unveiled more details of its plan to resettle Syrian refugees.
The Department of Homeland Security website says there are more than 2,200 Border Patrol agents working on what it calls the “Northern border”, a 500 percent increase since 9/11.
Quebec Premier Phillipe Couillard said accepting refugees and immigrants is part of Canadian tradition.
Complete families, women at risk, members of sexual minorities and LGBT single men are among those who will be given priority.
Refugees will have a security interview with visa officers, including document verification and gathering/checking biometric data, a health screening, and identification checks on departure and arrival.
The federal government is budgeting up to $678-million over six years to cover all costs. Response to the plan was met with cautious concern, however, not because gay men were being allowed, but out of concern for implementing a blanket ban on “lone-male” refugees and what constitutes a family.
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Arsham Parsi, founder of the Toronto-based Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees, says he was surprised to hear the initial CBC report on Sunday.
