http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/timeline.asp
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2015-11-e.html
1 Introduction
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that almost 960,000 refugees are currently in need of resettlement in a third country.
1 These are refugees who, according to the UNHCR, can neither return to their country of origin nor integrate into their country of first asylum.
Together, the international community has committed to resettle around 80,000 refugees each year. Historically, Canada has resettled approximately 10% of this total; the government’s current goal is to resettle between 8% and 12%.
2 In 2010, the government committed to increase the number of refugees resettled each year from abroad by 20% (2,500 people). For 2015, the government has agreed to accept up to 14,500 resettled refugees, out of a total of 285,000 new immigrants.
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Canada admits refugees for resettlement on a humanitarian basis. Resettlement also provides a way for Canada to alleviate the burden for host countries and share the responsibility for displaced persons. In addition to commitments to resettle refugees, Canada has international obligations to those who come to Canada on their own and are found to be in need of protection (refugee claimants or asylum seekers).
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This publication provides an overview of Canada’s refugee resettlement programs, explaining who is eligible for resettlement and the different programs in place. Finally, it concludes with some of the operational issues involved in refugee resettlement.
4 Operational Issues
4.1 Resettlement Priorities
The UNHCR generally prioritizes resettlement for people who are particularly vulnerable and/or facing an imminent risk, and sometimes refers the entire refugee population in a given country, if warranted.
22 The UNHCR and the international community recognize that resettlement places should be given to individuals experiencing both urgent unfolding conflicts and “protracted refugee situations,” where the refugees have been displaced for many years.
The Canadian government identifies priorities for refugee settlement, both in terms of particularly vulnerable groups and specific refugee populations. For example, the government has a long-standing program for women at risk
23 and in 2011 started a pilot government–private organization sponsorship program to resettle refugees persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
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In the past few years, the government has shifted from a global resettlement program to a more targeted approach that includes multi-year commitments to particular refugee groups.
25 Most recently, the government announced that it would resettle up to 10,000 refugees from Syria over three years.
26 CIC says that multi-year group resettlement commitments allow it to realize administrative efficiencies and provide consistency for receiving communities, who can tailor orientation information and other supports to the refugees being resettled.
27 However, organizations such as UNHCR also continue to value global resettlement programs, because these ensure “that resettlement is responsive as a mechanism of individual protection.”
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Private sponsors may have different priorities for resettlement, because the refugees put forward often have family connections in Canada or are from a particular region. For instance, private sponsors have a strong interest in supporting refugees from East Africa (accounting for up to a quarter of new resettlement places requested).
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5 Conclusion
The government has indicated that it is increasing the number of refugees resettled in Canada from abroad by 20%, or about 2,500 a year. In delivering on this target, it continues to be reliant on a number of partners, the UNHCR and private sponsors in particular.
32 At the same time, increasing the target opens up possibilities – for new actors to become involved in private sponsorship and for the renewal of long-standing cooperation with civil society groups.