US Refers More Than 5,000 Afghan Refugees to Canada
2022-03-27
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1The United States State Department has referred more than 5,000 Afghan refugees seeking admission to the United States to a partner program in Canada.
2Wait times for refugees there are shorter.
3"We are working with Canada to refer up to 5,000 refugees to Canada, independent of our ongoing efforts for U.S. resettlement," a State Department spokesman told VOA.
4On the Canadian side, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said Afghan refugees referred by the U.S. are coming to Canada from third countries.
5They have been living in those countries since fleeing Afghanistan.
6Newly formed groups like Operation North Star and Task Force Pineapple are working to rescue those still in Afghanistan.
7Such groups formed after the Taliban takeover of the country last August.
8But getting people out of Afghanistan is just part of the problem.
9The Operation North Star website says they have almost 500 Afghans in third countries and more than 2,000 Afghans in safe homes in Afghanistan.
10The process to move to the United States is a difficult one for refugees.
11It includes finding safe houses, leaving Afghanistan, finding a third country, applying to a refugee program, and then arriving in a new country.
12The U.S. immigration system has many complex laws related to refugees entering the United States.
13The full process can take two to five years.
14Some private groups are looking to other countries as permanent homes for refugees because of slow U.S. processing.
15Immigration-friendly Canada is a favored place.
16Since October 1, 2021, 133 Afghans have been admitted into the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program.
17A total 1,545 refugees have been admitted through the Special Immigrant Visa program.
18That program is for those people who worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan.
19Once the U.S. identifies Afghan refugees who meet certain requirements, they are accepted for resettlement to Canada.
20Jeffrey MacDonald is the communications officer at IRCC.
21He said that, as government-assisted refugees, Afghans become permanent residents on arrival and can use the country's Resettlement Assistance Program.
22The Canadian government provides temporary housing and up to 12 months of financial support.
23MacDonald said in an email to VOA that monthly financial support levels for housing, food, and other costs depend on where in Canada the refugees live.
24They also depend on the size of the family.
25The Canadian government has promised to accept 40,000 Afghan refugees.
26That includes the 5,000 people being referred through the partnership with the U.S.
27Since last August, Canada has admitted a little over 8,800 Afghan refugees.
28I'm Susan Shand.
1The United States State Department has referred more than 5,000 Afghan refugees seeking admission to the United States to a partner program in Canada. Wait times for refugees there are shorter. 2"We are working with Canada to refer up to 5,000 refugees to Canada, independent of our ongoing efforts for U.S. resettlement," a State Department spokesman told VOA. 3On the Canadian side, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said Afghan refugees referred by the U.S. are coming to Canada from third countries. They have been living in those countries since fleeing Afghanistan. 4Rescue efforts 5Newly formed groups like Operation North Star and Task Force Pineapple are working to rescue those still in Afghanistan. Such groups formed after the Taliban takeover of the country last August. 6But getting people out of Afghanistan is just part of the problem. 7The Operation North Star website says they have almost 500 Afghans in third countries and more than 2,000 Afghans in safe homes in Afghanistan. 8The process to move to the United States is a difficult one for refugees. It includes finding safe houses, leaving Afghanistan, finding a third country, applying to a refugee program, and then arriving in a new country. 9The U.S. immigration system has many complex laws related to refugees entering the United States. The full process can take two to five years. 10Some private groups are looking to other countries as permanent homes for refugees because of slow U.S. processing. 11Immigration-friendly Canada is a favored place. 12Since October 1, 2021, 133 Afghans have been admitted into the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program. A total 1,545 refugees have been admitted through the Special Immigrant Visa program. That program is for those people who worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan. 13Resettlement to Canada 14Once the U.S. identifies Afghan refugees who meet certain requirements, they are accepted for resettlement to Canada. 15Jeffrey MacDonald is the communications officer at IRCC. He said that, as government-assisted refugees, Afghans become permanent residents on arrival and can use the country's Resettlement Assistance Program. 16The Canadian government provides temporary housing and up to 12 months of financial support. 17MacDonald said in an email to VOA that monthly financial support levels for housing, food, and other costs depend on where in Canada the refugees live. They also depend on the size of the family. 18The Canadian government has promised to accept 40,000 Afghan refugees. That includes the 5,000 people being referred through the partnership with the U.S. 19Since last August, Canada has admitted a little over 8,800 Afghan refugees. 20I'm Susan Shand. 21Sultan Anshori reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 22__________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24refer - v. to send (someone or something) to a particular person or place for treatment, help, or advice 25apply - v. to ask formally for something (such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan) usually in writing 26resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place 27We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.