Syrian Refugees and Refugee Resettlement Program

Immigration Department: McCallum sending more staff to Jordan and Lebanon to boost refugee intake Syrian refugees turn to food banks as they struggle to cope with high cost of living Syrian refugees not arriving quickly enough say B.C. private sponsors "We're doing everything we can to honour our commitment to deliver the refugees who had been applied for by March 30," McCallum said, according to CBC. McCallum committed to private groups to bring as many as 10,000 Syrians by the end of this year or early next, a response to the outcry that erupted when the government massive Syrian refugee resettlement program ended and the processing of applications returned to a far slower pace. Existing and retired staff from the Immigration Department are set to head overseas this month to begin working through hundreds of applications submitted by private groups across the country, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday. Hundreds of groups protested, saying they'd raising thousands of dollars, rented apartments and lined up other supports for Syrians under the assumption that while the large-scale airlifts might be over, helping Syrians would remain a top priority for government. The government had resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada between November and the end of February by deploying hundreds of staff overseas to process applications, including members of the Canadian Forces who helped handled medical and security screening. The fact it was now going to take more than a year to bring people over left many groups frustrated. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.