Canada aims to double intake of Syrian refugees next year

Canadian Minister of Immigration John McCallum speaks to representatives of the village of Hamra, Jordan, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. The minister was on a two-day trip to the kingdom where he also greeted families boarding flights to Canada for resettlement. McCallum said the country’s resettlement program for Syrian refugees could double by the end of 2016. AP

AMMAN, Jordan — Canada’s minister of immigration and citizenship says the country’s resettlement program for Syrian refugees could double its intake by the end of next year to 50,000.

John McCallum was in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Sunday, meeting with Syrian families preparing to board flights to Canada. He told one family: “Everyone in Canada is waiting to meet you.”

READ: Syrians to arrive in Canada on government flights Thursday

Canada’s new Liberal government is pushing forward with its pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February. McCallum says Canada hopes to settle 35,000 to 50,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016, with the UN refugee agency, the Jordanian government and the International Organization for Migration assisting with the vetting process.

McCallum also toured development projects and refugee facilities during his two-day stop in Jordan.

READ: Liberal win in Canada good for immigrant family reunification