It is imperative to establish robust collaborative humanitarian efforts in negotiating intricate geopolitical circumstances in facilitating the migration of Afghans to Canada. This is set to occur on May 26, 2023, in Toronto. The Canadian Government is collaborating with similar nations, regional allies, and NGOs to ensure the secure migration of Afghans headed for Canada.
The Government of Canada has established a strong partnership with United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, has announced that they have agreed with UAE to facilitate safe routes for Afghans who are moving to Canada. As a joint effort, Canada is committed to relocating a maximum of 1,000 individuals from Afghanistan who were evacuated after the capture of Kabul and presently reside in the UAE.
More than 650 individuals from Afghanistan have already been transported to Canada through this partnership, with the latest charter flight arriving in Toronto today. The recent arrivals will reach more than 15 Canadian communities, including Kingston. These Canadian cities are Catharines, Toronto, and Vancouver.
In 2022, Canada collaborated with the UAE to facilitate the arrival of Afghan citizens through 3 flights. As a result, the total number of arrivals via the UAE has surpassed 1,500 up until now.
Although we continue to face obstacles and have much work to do, we are still progressing towards our objective of resettling a minimum of 40,000 at-risk Afghan individuals before 2023 concludes. Up until now, approximately 32,000 people have arrived in Canada and been greeted.
The Canadian Government expresses gratitude to the UAE for their valuable collaboration in ensuring the secure transference of displaced Afghan citizens to Canada and other nations which provide resettlement.