Resettling Syrian Refugees in Canada: FWCanada Perspective
Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) July 09, 2013 -- In the beginning of this month, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that the Canadian government would resettle up to 1,300 Syrian refugees by the end of next year. This is a response to the violent crisis that erupted in Syria since 2011, and demonstrate Canada's tradition of humanitarian commitment and generous immigration system.
"The number of refugees that Canada accepts may be too small to effectively alleviate the stress of a refugee flood in the region, but it is enough to show that Canada is willing to provide humanitarian assistance while remaining pragmatic about immigration," said Marisa Feil, a Montreal-based Canadian immigration lawyer.
CIC plans to resettle 200 "extremely vulnerable" Syrian refugees identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) through its Government-Assisted Refugee Program. It also aims to accept another 1,100 Syrian refugees by the end of 2014 through working with Sponsorship Agreement Holders, a collective of non-governmental organizations that sponsor and support refugees from abroad through the Private Sponsorship of Refugee Program. Moreover, CIC states that the number of cases that it is committed to process exceeds the current number of resettlement spaces offered through the Sponsorship Agreement Holders.
"Today's announcement reflects Canada's humanitarian commitment to refugee protection as Canada continues to have of the most generous immigration and refugee systems in the world, " said the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney last Wednesday. "We welcome about one out of every ten of all resettled refugees globally, more than almost any other industrialized country. We have also increased resettlement assistance funding for refugees by 20 percent."
Other than offering immigration to Syrian refugees, CIC points out that the Canadian government has also increased its overall humanitarian aid to the country. On June 17, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised $115 million worth of assistance to fulfill the needs of refugees from Syria and its neighbouring countries, in addition to $68.5 million that the Department of Foreign Affairs has already committed.
According to CIC, $90 million of the total funding is dedicated to "providing food, clean water, sanitation, emergency health care, shelter, protection, and other urgent assistance," while the other $25 million addresses appeals for assistance by the Jordanian and Lebanese governments, which are faced with large refugee influxes.
As stated in its news release, Canada has also formed a partnership with the UNHCR and the International Catholic Migration Commission, and CIC will deploy up to five staff members directly to the region with a funding of $1 million to help resettle displaced Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon.
About FWCanada:
FWCanada is a Canadian Immigration Law Firm which provides expertise in immigration services such as Temporary Resident Permits, Criminal Rehabilitation, Study Permits and Work Permits. Marisa Feil and her team ensure that each case is closely evaluated to determine the most relevant program. For more information, contact FWCanada at 1-855-316-3555.
Marisa Feil, FWCanada, http://www.canadianimmigration.net/, 1-855-316-3555, [email protected]
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