Tag Archives: Canadian embassy Ankara

Canada to Accept 5,000 Iraqi and Iranian Refugees – Immigration Department

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Iraqi refugees in Damascus, Syria. The Canadian government pledged to resettle 20,000 Iraqi refugees in Canada in 2009 and 2010 (James Gordon)

While visiting Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) office in Ankara, Turkey, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the federal government will resettle up to 5,000 Iraqi and Iranian refugees who are currently residing in Turkey.

The move is intended to relieve pressure from Turkey, which is dealing with a massive influx of Syrian refugees.

Kenny said that the federal government would only accept “bona-fide” refugees that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) designates as refugees.

CIC says that the resettlement plan is intended to partly fulfil the commitment it made in 2009 and 2010 to resettle up to 20,000 Iraqi refugees.

The Canadian refugee program is among the most generous in the world, with only one country, Australia, accepting more per capita every year.

The government has increased the number of refugees it resettles every year for the past three years. It plans on admitting 14,500 refugees and other individuals on humanitarian and compassionate grounds this year.

Canadian Visa Section in Tehran Embassy Closed – Relocated to Turkey

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Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced yesterday that the Visa and Immigration section of the Embassy of Canada in Tehran is being closed, and its services for Iranian nationals are being transferred to the Embassy of Canada in Ankara, Turkey, effective immediately.

The department said in a statement that it regularly “evaluates its network of immigration offices and explores ways of doing business more effectively and efficiently”, and that the closure was part of these efforts.

This move will affect the processing of temporary resident applications. Permanent resident services were transferred from the Canadian embassy in Tehran to the embassy in Ankara several months ago.

There have been a number of downgrades in diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran in the past few years. Tensions between the two governments have increased since 2007, as the showdown over Iran’s nuclear program has ratcheted up.

               The Embassy of Canada in Tehran


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