#WelcomeRefugees: Canada continues to resettle Syrian refugees

Backgrounder

As processing of Syrian refugee cases continues, to date, Canada has welcomed 27,190 Syrian refugees as part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative (from November 4, 2015, to May 15, 2016).

The government’s commitment to resettling Syrian refugees to Canada is continuing in 2016. Processing of both government-supported and privately sponsored Syrian refugees has never stopped and refugees have continued to arrive during the past few weeks with more scheduled to arrive in the weeks and months ahead.

Privately sponsored refugees

For all privately sponsored Syrian applications submitted up to March 31, 2016, every effort will be made to finalize their processing by the end of 2016 or early 2017.

Here is how that will be accomplished.

Processing abroad

Starting the week of May 9, 2016, more than 40 additional dedicated staff are joining employees and partner organizations already working in visa offices in the Middle East to process these applications in May and June. Employees are located in different countries, with the bulk of the processing occurring in Beirut. These efforts will complement the ongoing work that staff have been doing throughout this process.

These efforts will also be supported by dozens of staff in Canada.

All immigration processing will be completed overseas. This will include full health and security screening in addition to an interview with a professional, experienced visa officer who will collect information to make a decision on applications and to facilitate visa issuance when the decision is positive.

Immigration medical examinations will include screening for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. Security screening will include collecting biographical information and biometrics, such as fingerprints and digital photos, which will be checked against immigration, law enforcement and security databases.

Individuals who are accepted for resettlement to Canada will be issued a permanent resident visa and preparations will be made for their transportation to Canada via commercial flights, organized by the International Organization for Migration.

Syrian refugees who are accepted for resettlement are expected to arrive in Canada within three to six months of their interview. Cases with complications arising from a need for additional security or medical screening will take additional time for the visa officer to be satisfied that there are no security or medical concerns.

Private sponsors can check the status of their sponsorship application online and are generally advised 10 days in advance of the arrival their sponsored refugees.

Related products

• Notice – #WelcomeRefugees: Processing privately sponsored Syrian refugee applications

Hon. John McCallum Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Government and Politics