Question Period Note: Refugee Resettlement

Refugee resettlement has fully resumed following COVID-19 impacts that affected the ability of Canada and other countries to protect refugees through resettlement during the global pandemic.

The world continues to face a refugee crisis and Canada will continue to do its part, as a global leader in refugee resettlement.

Although the pandemic impacted resettlement globally, Canada continued to be a strong resettlement country even as others reduced their number of arrivals. In fact, Canada continued to be the largest receiver of resettled refugees as per the UNHCR’s 2022 Mid-Year Trends report.

Through our refugee programs, Canada safely resettled over 20,400 refugees in 2021, and over 47,000 refugees in 2022.

Canada has already resettled over 31,000 refugees between January and September 2023.

• Overall, Canada reached its 2022 admissions target and welcomed over 437,000 permanent residents. This includes approximately 23,900 government-assisted refugees, 22,500 privately sponsored refugees and 100 blended-visa office referred refugees.

• IRCC continues to facilitate travel for all government-assisted and privately sponsored refugees. IRCC also continues to expedite resettlement of refugees in need of urgent protection under the Urgent Protection Program. Canada’s resettlement partners overseas play a key role in facilitating resettlement application processing overseas and assisting with arrangements for travel to Canada.

• For resettled refugees already in Canada, service provider organizations (SPOs) delivered a mix of in-person services and hybrid model services. Currently, service provider organization staff are primarily on site, as preferred by clients, with very few virtual sessions being delivered.

• Canada will uphold its international commitments, and continue to facilitate refugee resettlement including ensuring that there are appropriate measures in place to support the refugees upon arrival.

Afghanistan Commitment

• Canada has met its goal to welcome at least 40,000 refugees and vulnerable Afghans since August 2021, which remains one of the largest commitments in the world. We are proud that 40,000 Afghans are now building their new lives in Canada and making important contributions to their communities.
• It is thanks to continued collaboration with key partners, including countries in the region, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, non-governmental organizations, and like-minded countries that so many Afghans have been able to find safety in Canada.
• In Canada, the significant efforts of provincial and territorial partners, municipalities, resettlement service providers and thousands of Canadians have made this achievement possible.
• Welcoming 40,000 Afghans to Canada is a significant achievement, but we recognize that many applications from Afghans remain in process, and these people are facing a dire humanitarian situation. We will continue to process eligible applications submitted under these programs on a priority basis.
• Working with like-minded countries, partners in the region, and non-government organizations, the Government is prioritizing efforts to support Afghan clients in leaving Afghanistan safely and facilitating travel for those in third countries.

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