Horizontal Initiative: Syrian Refugees

General Information

Name of horizontal initiative

Syrian Refugee Crisis: Resettlement of 25,000 Syrian refugees by February 29, 2016, and 25,000 (in total) Government-supported Syrian refugees by December 31, 2016 (Syrian refugee initiative)

Lead department(s)

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Federal partner organization(s)

• Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
• Shared Services Canada (SSC)

Non-federal and non-governmental partner(s)

• United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
• International Organization for Migration
• Various communities of settlement/resettlement service provider organizations (SPOs)
• Private sponsors
• Provincial and territorial governments
• Municipal governments

Start date of the horizontal initiative

November 2015

End date of the horizontal initiative

March 2019

Total federal funding allocated (start to end date) (dollars)

$959,908,977

Total federal planned spending to date (dollars)

$429,866,303

Total federal actual spending to date (dollars)

$384,729,619

Funding contributed by non-federal and non-governmental partners

Not applicable

Governance structures

The oversight, execution, monitoring and reporting of this horizontal initiative is undertaken under the direction of various committees, subcommittees, working groups, councils and operations centres.

As the lead federal department, IRCC is responsible for the following: working with international organizations to identify Syrian refugees overseas; processing refugees for permanent residency; performing biometrics screening; conducting and assessing immigration medical exams as well as performing visual health checks prior to departure; conducting immigration interviews; reimbursing expenses related to medical care through the Interim Federal Health Program; and coordinating the settlement and integration of individuals in cooperation with provinces/territories, municipalities and other partners.

CBSA works with airline officials to conduct passenger assessments and document verification; liaises with foreign border authorities and transporters to ensure compliance with foreign exit requirements; confirms identity and travel documents of migrants at Canadian ports of entry; investigates, seeks admissibility determination; detains and removes refugees who are deemed inadmissible; and undertakes the necessary arrangements to enforce removal orders.

Contact information

• Dawn Edlund
  Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
  Operations
  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
  Dawn.Edlund@cic.gc.ca
  Telephone: 613-437-9176
• David Manicom
  Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
  Strategic and Program Policy
  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
  David.Manicom@cic.gc.ca
  Telephone: 613-437-9152

Results information

Description of the horizontal initiative

In response to the ongoing conflict in Syria which has displaced millions of Syrians, the Government of Canada resettled more than 25,000 Syrian refugees between November 4, 2015 and February 29, 2016. The Government’s commitment to resettling Syrian refugees continued in 2016, reaching a total of over 37,400 individuals as of December 11, 2016, who were welcomed by more than 350 communities across Canada.

Collaboration among federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments, other government departments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, advocacy groups and Canadians in response to the Syrian crisis was unprecedented.

IRCC and CBSA are working together with international partners, provinces and territories, sponsorship agreement holders and community organizations to continue resettling Syrian refugees to Canada.

Canada’s missions overseas continue to process Syrian refugee cases, and Syrian refugees continue to arrive in Canada as part of ongoing resettlement efforts through the Government-Assisted Refugee, Blended Visa Office-Referred Refugee and Privately Sponsored Refugee programs.

Once Syrian refugees have landed in Canada, the Government of Canada works with governmental/non-governmental partners to facilitate their successful settlement and integration and eventual contribution to Canada’s economic, social and cultural development.

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation

Not applicable

Shared outcome of federal partners

This initiative has four shared outcomes:

• Syrian refugees are granted protection in Canada and become permanent residents.
• Syrian refugees have an opportunity to benefit from Canada’s social, health and economic systems and integrate into Canadian society, including obtaining citizenship.
• Canada’s international humanitarian reputation is upheld by demonstrating to the world that we have a shared responsibility to help people who are displaced and persecuted.
• The health, safety and security of Canadians are protected through rigorous screening of refugees overseas and upon arrival.

Expected outcome or result of non-federal and non-governmental partners

The UNHCR is responsible for identifying and prioritizing vulnerable refugees who are a low security risk and for contacting them to determine if they are interested in being resettled in Canada.

Non-federal and non-governmental partners also provide information and referral services to ongoing community supports such as language classes, translators, community-based mental health care, medical services and long-term accommodations.

Planning summary

IRCC

GAC

PHAC

SSC

CBSA 10,000 refugees

CBSA 25,000 refugees

Total for all federal organizations

CBSA Expected Results for 2017-18 (10,000 Refugees)

• E.R. 1.1.1: Safe and secure integration of 10,000 Syrian refugees into Canadian society. 
• E.R. 1.2.1: Reliable, accurate and actionable information and intelligence resulting in the interception of inadmissible people.
• E.R. 1.2.2: Air passengers that pose a threat to the security and safety of Canada are identified prior to their arrival.
• E.R. 1.2.3: Persons who are a national security concern are found to be inadmissible to Canada.
  E.R. 1.4.1: Ongoing criminal investigation related to Syria Operations.
• E.R. 1.4.2: Business planning around the potential impacts to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Syria Initiative.
• E.R. 1.5.1: Immigration investigations are conducted against persons who are or may be inadmissible to Canada
• E.R. 1.5.2: The CBSA will seek admissibility determinations of persons alleged to be inadmissible on the basis of national security, human rights violations or serious criminality.
• E.R. 1.5.3: Persons that may pose a risk to the safety and security of Canada are detained.
• E.R. 1.5.4: Timely removal of persons subject to an enforceable removal order.

Performance Indicators 

• P.I. 1.4.1: Number of cases opened from referrals (internal or external) related to Syrian nationals.
• P.I. 1.5.1: Percentage of immigration investigations concluded that result in a person being identified as inadmissible to Canada. 
• P.I. 1.5.2: Percentage of high priority foreign nationals removed from Canada compared to the high priority population in the removals inventory
• P.I. 1.5.3: Percentage of foreign nationals and permanent residents who may be inadmissible to Canada or who may be ready for removals who are detained according to their assessed level of risk. 
• P.I. 1.5.4: Average number of days to facilitate a removal from Canada of a failed claimant who received their negative refugee determination Post-PCISA from Canada.

Performance Targets 

Footnote: Setting specific targets for the CBSA to attain, with respect to criminal investigations and enforcement, is not consistent with the Government of Canada’s ultimate humanitarian commitment to safely resettling Syrian refugees into Canada. 

CBSA Expected Results for 2017-18 (25,000 Refugees)

Expected Results for 2017-18

• E.R. 1.3.2: Safe and secure integration of 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canadian society.
• E.R. 1.2.1: Reliable, accurate and actionable information and intelligence resulting in the interception of inadmissible people.
• E.R. 1.2.2: Air passengers that pose a threat to the security and safety of Canada are identified prior to their arrival.
• E.R. 1.2.3: Persons who are a national security concern are found to be inadmissible to Canada.
• E.R. 1.4.1: Ongoing criminal investigation related to Syria Operations.
• E.R. 1.4.2: Business planning around the potential impacts to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Syria Initiative.
• E.R. 1.5.1: Immigration investigations are conducted against persons who are or may be inadmissible to Canada.
• E.R. 1.5.2: The CBSA will seek admissibility determinations of persons alleged to be inadmissible on the basis of national security, human rights violations or serious criminality.
• E.R. 1.5.3: Persons that may pose a risk to the safety and security of Canada are detained.
• E.R. 1.5.4: Timely removal of persons subject to an enforceable removal order. 

Performance Indicators

• P.I. 1.1.1: These programs and activities are not being undertaken by the CBSA during 2017-2018.  During the 2015-2016 fiscal year, under CBSA leadership, a Government of Canada (GC) multilayered security screening process, tailored for unique aspects of Syrian Refugees and operational timelines, was established and 12,917 files were screened. In addition, the CBSA ensured identity and document validity through the use of biometric information as part of the arrival processing of 26,166 refugees by February 29, 2016.  An additional 46 refugees were landed by March 31, 2016 for a fiscal year total of 26,212. 
• P.I. 1.3.2:
• P.I. 1.1.2:
• P.I. 1.1.3:
• P.I. 1.4.1: Number of criminal investigation cases opened from referrals (internal or external) related to Syrian nationals.
• P.I. 1.5.1: Percentage of immigration investigations concluded that result in a person being identified as inadmissible to Canada.
• P.I. 1.5.2: Percentage  of high priority foreign nationals removed from Canada compared to the high priority population in the removals inventory (Based on annual average)
• P.I. 1.5.3: Percentage of foreign nationals  and permanent residents who may be inadmissible to Canada or who may be ready for removal who are detained according to their assessed level of risk
• P.I. 1.5.4: Average number of days to facilitate a removal from Canada of a failed claimant who received their negative refugee determination Post-PCISA from Canada

Performance Targets

Setting specific targets for the CBSA to hit, with respect to criminal investigations and enforcement, is not consistent with the Government of Canada’s ultimate humanitarian commitment to safely resettling Syrian refugees into Canada.