Canada has welcomed over 30,000 Afghans as part of its refugee admission program to resettle 40,000 Afghans, whose lives became in danger with the Taliban recapture of Afghanistan, by the end of 2023, according to its Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Sean Fraser.
“Today, Canada marks a milestone in its long-standing humanitarian tradition by welcoming over 30K vulnerable Afghans to their new home. This is an ambitious achievement as we work towards our goal of resettling 40K Afghans by 2023,” Fraser said in a tweet on Wednesday.
He acknowledged cooperation of governments, stakeholders, and NGOs as “incredible work” in helping Canada to resettle these refugees.
“The latest newcomers arrived in Toronto, Ontario, on a charter flight from Pakistan and include Afghans who supported Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, family members of former Afghan interpreters, and privately sponsored refugees arriving through the humanitarian stream,” the Government of Canada said in a news release on Wednesday.
The Canada’s resettlement program is aimed at resettling the most vulnerable Afghans, including woman leaders, human rights defenders, persecuted and religious minorities, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and journalists.
The news release further stated that many Afghans faced great risks to leave Afghanistan or were simply unable to make the journey due to significant challenges as there is no Canadian diplomatic or military presence in Afghanistan.
With the withdrawal of US and its allies and the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, thousands of vulnerable Afghans have been forced to leave Afghanistan with the US, Canada, and European countries announcing resettlement programs to take in these at-risk people.
