#RefugeesWelcome - Communities Across Canada Preparing to Welcome Syrian Refugees

OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2015 /CNW/ 

As the Government of Canada has stepped up efforts to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, communities from coast to coast to coast are also preparing to welcome Syrian refugees with open arms.

A significant portion of refugees arriving in Canada by the end of December will be privately sponsored and already have destination communities large and small that are eagerly anticipating their arrival. As of November 24th, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is actively processing 4,511 files of Syrian refugees who have been sponsored by organizations and groups of Canadians outside of Quebec. While decisions are not yet finalized in many of these cases, a list of communities, outside of Quebec, where private sponsors have put forth an application for a Syrian refugee is available on our website. In Quebec, sponsorship cases are approved by the provincial government.

The majority of these privately sponsored refugees will arrive before the end of December, as their applications are already in process. They will contribute to the goal of bringing in 10,000 Syrian refugees by December 31. Growing numbers of government assisted refugees will begin arriving later in December and into next year as the government seeks to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees overall by the end of February.

Government-assisted refugees will go to communities across Canada where funded service providing organizations with support services are available to help them integrate. We anticipate more communities will get involved in supporting the settlement and integration of these refugees.

The Government of Canada continues to work closely with provincial, territorial, municipal, and other partners to ensure the successful integration of Syrian refugees into their new host communities, where they will begin to build their new lives in Canada.

Quotes

"It is so encouraging to see communities, large and small, coming together in support of this complex initiative and welcome these Syrian refugees. The generosity and compassion of Canadians will help them successfully transition to life in Canada."
– Hon. John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• Private sponsors in more than 100 communities have applications in process to sponsor a Syrian refugee.
• The Governor General will be hosting a Forum on Welcoming Syrian Refugees to Canada on December 1, 2015.
• The 25,000 refugees to be settled, including privately sponsored refugees (PSRs) and government-assisted refugees (GARs), are in addition to the 3,089 Syrian refugees who have already arrived inCanada from January 1, 2014, to November 3, 2015.

Related products

• Backgrounder – Destination communities for privately sponsored Syrian refugees
• Map of destination communities for privately sponsored Syrian refugees

Associated links

• Canada.ca/refugees
• Governor General to Host Forum on Welcoming Syrian Refugees to Canada
• Canada Offers Leadership on the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Building a stronger Canada: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada strengthens Canada's economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

SOURCE Citizenship and Immigration Canada

CONTACT: Media Relations, Communications Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

RELATED LINKS
http://www.cic.gc.ca