Canada welcomes 25,000 Syrian refugees

Canada has now welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees as part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative.

The plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of February 2016 has met the commitments of a quick and successful resettlement effort while not compromising security or health requirements.

With the arrival of these refugees, attention now turns to helping them successfully integrate into Canadian society. Syrian refugees have gone to communities where there are settlement supports in place, with consideration given to whether they have family members in Canada, as well as the availability of schools, and housing. Privately sponsored refugees have gone to the community where their sponsor lives. “Canadians from coast to coast will have a hand in welcoming, integrating and contributing to the success of our newest community members,” John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship said. In both cases, Syrian refugees will begin to access to settlement services over the next few months including language classes; employment services such as help finding jobs; professional mentorship programs and workshops that focus on the requirements for building a successful life in Canada and fully integrating into Canadian society.

This significant achievement was made possible by the efforts of multiple organizations including federal departments and agencies, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, other international partners, the governments of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, provincial and municipal governments, private sponsors, service provider organizations, donations from Corporate Canada and with broad support and generosity from Canadians.

The government’s commitment to resettling Syrian refugees to Canada will continue in 2016 as both government-supported and privately sponsored Syrian refugees will continue to arrive on commercial flights in the months ahead. Approximately 8,500 more government-supported refugees are expected to arrive this year.