10K Syrian refugee target could be met Tuesday

OTTAWA – Tuesday could be the day that the influx of Syrian refugees to Canada hits 10,000, two weeks after the initial target date for that number.

Flight arrival data posted on the Immigration Department’s website suggests the 10,000th Syrian will arrive on one of two flights bound for Toronto on Tuesday, though the department could not confirm that.

Back in November, the Liberals said 10,000 Syrians would arrive in Canada by the end of 2015, but they now say they expect that number by the middle of this month.

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Of the roughly 8,000 Syrians who arrived as of Jan. 7, about half are privately sponsored, with the remainder being assisted directly by the federal government or by joint government-private support.

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Immigration Minister John McCallum has said 25,000 Syrians in total should be in Canada by the end of February and a further 10,000 government-assisted Syrian refugees would be admitted by the end of 2016.

Resettlement groups, however, say they’d also like to know how many more privately sponsored Syrians the government will accept. given that hundreds of applications are still being submitted.