Plans for a U.S. strike on Syria may be on hold, but it means little for refugees fleeing into neighbouring countries.
What is making a difference for the more than 2 million Syrians — taking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq — is the opening of borders in countries far from the conflict.
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Sweden recently said it would give permanent residency to about 8,000 of the 14,700 Syrians who have fled to the country since 2012. There is no word yet on what will happen with the remaining 6,700 refugees and those that may continue to arrive, but they may very well be granted residency as well.
Germany said it would welcome 5,000 people and Austria said it could accept 500 refugees, according to German news agency Deutsche Welle.
Canada, too, has plans to resettle 1,300 refugees by the end of next year. Former Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made that announcement in July.
People like 23-year-old Arafat Hamidi, from Damascus but living as a refugee in Beirut, said he’s in the process of applying to come to Canada.
“I chose Canada because they are offering visas for refugees,” he said. “I’m dreaming of a good life in Canada.”
He believes Canada is “prosperous and secure… and has good people.”
Hamidi is not alone, and it seems Canada is an attractive destination. So much so that you can see Canada’s iconic maple leaf dotting the highway from Syria into Beirut, a route taken by many refugees.
The maple-leaf-emblazoned signs are for an agency that purports to work with Canadian immigration.
With the help of an Arabic-speaking assistant, Global News contacted the agency. The assistant was told he could get a visa in two to three months and it would only cost $700.
The issue is that Canada does not require such an agency and does not charge to apply to be settled as a refugee.
The Canadian embassy in Beirut would not speak directly to the issue, but the Dept. of Citizenship and Immigration, in Ottawa, issued a statement saying: “The Government of Canada is aware of false information being directed to displaced Syrians wanting to be resettled in Canada. Canada does not charge fees for refugee settlement.”
Global‘s Paul Johnson went to the company’s office, where he was told the agency only helps people fill out forms. But, the agency would not confirm if it’s charging $700 for the service.
The UN expects the Syrian refugee crisis will worsen and said the number of people fleeing the conflict could reach 3.5 million by the end of this year.
UNICEF revealed last month that more than 1 million of those refugees are children.
Lebanon and Jordan have dealt with more refugees than any other country.
According to UNHCR data, there are more than 627,200 registered refugees in the country, but tens of thousands more who are considered persons of concern — a number that continues to grow.
Jordan has about 519,700 persons of concern, with 492,500 of those being registered as refugees.
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