Canada to take in 10,000 more Syrian refugees

TORONTO, March 31 (Reuters) - Canada will take in an
additional 10,000 Syrian refugees, adding to the more than
25,000 already received in the last few months, Immigration
Minister John McCallum said on Thursday in Germany, where an
influx of refugees has sparked a backlash.
McCallum told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp he was
responding to complaints from Canadian groups who want to
sponsor Syrian refugees but did not have their applications
processed quickly enough to be among the government's initial
target of 25,000.
"We are doing everything we can to accommodate the very
welcomed desire on the part of Canadians to sponsor refugees,"
McCallum said in a phone interview with CBC News from Berlin,
where he is meeting with the German interior minister.
The Liberal government won election in October 2015 pledging
to bring in more Syrian refugees more quickly than the previous
Conservative government. Private groups including church, family
and community organizations had lined up to sponsor Syrian
families.
The welcome contrasts sharply to Europe, where resettlement
has sparked an anti-migrant backlash amid security fears.
While there have been some delays finding permanent housing
for refugees arriving in Canada, particularly in large cities
like Toronto where the housing market is tight, the resettlement
program has been mostly smooth.
A poll released last month showed Canadians were divided
over whether to accept more Syrian refugees.
A total of 26,200 Syrian refugees had arrived in Canada as
of March 28, according to the Immigration Department. But nearly
16,000 more applications are in process or have been finalized,
even though the refugees have not yet arrived, according to
official figures.
McCallum said he has instructed bureaucrats to extend the
deadline for submitting sponsorship applications to Thursday
from the initial March 1 deadline, which should allow the
department to process the backlog.