The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
CTV News – How Canada’s Private Refugee Sponsorship Program Works
The private sponsorship program relies on both major organizations and smaller groups to take responsibility for refugees entering the country. Private sponsors are involved at every step of the process, from filling out initial paperwork, maintaining contact with the refugee family before their arrival, coaching them through the screening process and providing for them for the first several months of their time in Canada.
Reuters Canada – Merkel Under Pressure from Her Own Ahead of EU Migration Summit
Chancellor Angela Merkel came under renewed pressure from her own conservatives on Friday to stem the flow of refugees into Germany as she heads to a weekend summit of European Union leaders and Turkey’s prime minister.
CKNW – The 5 Phases of Refugee Resettlement in Canada
United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) oversees the registration of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. Canada will work with the UNHCR to identify and prioritize vulnerable refugees who are a low security risk, such as women at risk and complete families. Once refugees are identified, the UNHCR will contact them via SMS/text message to ask if they are interested in being resettled in Canada. If they say yes, the UNHCR then confirms their identity using an iris scan. Once that is complete, they are transferred to Canadian officials for processing.
The Globe and Mail – Canada’s Acceptance Rate for Syrian Refugees Around 90 per cent: Ottawa
Canada has rejected just two UN-referred Syrian refugee cases because of security concerns over the past 22 months. The two cases represent 13 people, according to Immigration Department figures. That means more than 99 per cent of the 1,128 cases referred to Canada between January, 2014, and Nov. 3, 2015, were not of sufficient concern to be blocked for security reasons. It’s not clear how many were turned down for other reasons. The cases do not include privately sponsored refugees.
Vancouver Sun – Immigration Minister Reviewing Refugee Loan Program
The federal Liberal government will consider reforming a loan program that requires refugees to cover the hefty cost of their flights to Canada, Immigration Minister John McCallum said Friday. Officials revealed earlier this week that the 25,000 Syrian refugees to enter Canada by February won’t have to pay the cost of their flights and pre-flight medical screening.
Regina Leader-Post – Refugee Settlement Groups Ramp Up Efforts in Saskatchewan
As November finally caught up with Saskatchewan this week and the cold settled in, it struck Neelu Sachdev that her organization will likely soon be helping hundreds of Syrian refugee women deal with our particular brand of winter. As executive director of Regina’s Immigrant Women’s Centre, Sachdev has taught plenty of recent immigrants how best to adapt their traditional dress to Saskatchewan winters, but it’s usually a few at a time in organized programs — not hundreds at once.
