Canada – Minister Fraser concludes a successful visit to Europe

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), today concluded a successful visit to Europe, which included stops in Belgium, France and Poland. Throughout the week, the Minister met with key European allies and European Union (EU) partners to discuss the ongoing crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to helping the world’s most vulnerable.

May 6, 2022 — Warsaw, Poland—The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), today concluded a successful visit to Europe, which included stops in Belgium, France and Poland. Throughout the week, the Minister met with key European allies and European Union (EU) partners to discuss the ongoing crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to helping the world’s most vulnerable.

In Brussels, Belgium, the Minister met with representatives from the EU, including the European Commission, the European Council and ProtectDefenders,eu, as well as with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Front Line Defenders, the International Organization for Migration and the Migration Policy Institute Europe, to discuss Canada’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Minister and his counterparts also explored continued opportunities for collaboration on international migration and refugee protection.

Minister Fraser also met the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson. Together, they discussed the need to better support the growing number of displaced people worldwide. Accompanied by the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi, Minister Fraser also visited a Belgian refugee registration centre designed to welcome and support Ukrainians.

During a stop in Paris, the Minister spoke at an event to promote Francophone immigration opportunities in Canada, and he engaged with potential immigration candidates from Europe, the Maghreb and other Francophone countries around the world. He also visited a visa application centre to better understand the client experience when accessing services.

While in Europe, Minister Fraser delivered a keynote address at an event hosted in Warsaw by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Ukrainian crisis. The Minister highlighted Canada’s solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirmed our commitment to welcome Ukrainians seeking temporary safe haven in Canada.

In Warsaw, Poland, the Minister announced the expansion of overseas services for Ukrainians seeking temporary safe haven in Canada by launching the Canada Information Centre, as well as a second temporary biometric centre in Berlin that will provide up to 1,000 biometrics appointments per day.

While in Poland, the Minister also met with Paweł Szefernaker, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland and officials from the municipality of Lublin, Poland to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and our respective efforts to support individuals fleeing the country. Also in Lublin, the Minister visited a base of operations for humanitarian organizations that are receiving and distributing essential relief items from around the world for Ukrainians fleeing the war, including items donated by the Government of Canada.

Minister Fraser looks forward to the continued partnership between Canada and our EU counterparts in addressing the ongoing humanitarian situations in Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as refugee protection, economic migration and the successful integration of newcomers.

“I was humbled to see first-hand the important efforts underway to respond to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and Canada will continue to do everything it can to support Ukrainians before and after they arrive in Canada. We have a proud tradition of welcoming the world’s most vulnerable, and I look forward to continued collaboration with our European allies and counterparts to address the crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan.”

– The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Aidan Strickland

Press Secretary

Minister’s Office

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

aidan.strickland@cic.gc.ca

Canada – Minister Fraser meets with Afghan newcomers  and settlement services organizations in Alberta

The Government of Canada is working hard to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals as quickly and safely as possible. Canada has now welcomed over 9,400 Afghan refugees, with more arriving every week.

March 18, 2022—Ottawa, Ontario – The Government of Canada is working hard to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals as quickly and safely as possible. Canada has now welcomed over 9,400 Afghan refugees, with more arriving every week.

This week, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, travelled to Alberta to meet with Resettlement Assistance Program service provider organizations (RAP SPOs), stakeholders, Afghan newcomers and Afghan human rights defenders. The visit provided an opportunity for Minister Fraser to see first-hand the contributions of key partners who are working to resettle Afghan refugees in their new communities.

While in Calgary, Minister Fraser toured a point-of-entry hotel where Afghan refugees stay when they arrive in Canada, before relocating to communities across the country. There, he did a walk-through of the check-in process and visited a pop-up medical clinic for refugees. He also met with Fariborz Birjandian, Chief Executive Officer at the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), a RAP SPO that has been instrumental in welcoming Afghan refugees in Alberta and providing them with essential services within the first weeks of their arrival. In his discussions with Mr. Birjandian, Minister Fraser heard more about settlement and newcomer outreach services offered by the CCIS, including welcoming refugees at the airport upon arrival, supporting refugee children in the school system and helping refugees secure and retain employment.

In Edmonton, Minister Fraser met with Afghan human rights defenders who arrived in Canada in January 2022. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched the human rights defenders immigration stream in July 2021 to complement the Special Immigration Measures for Afghan nationals. Canada is one of the few countries in the world with a dedicated, permanent immigration program for those who protect and promote human rights.

While in Edmonton, Minister Fraser took part in a soccer match with Afghan children and met with newly arrived families.

Photos of previous Afghan arrivals are available in Dropbox for use by media. You can also monitor Canada’s progress on welcoming Afghan refugees to Canada.

“I would like to thank Albertans for their warm welcome and for the opportunity to hear the joys and challenges of the incredible work that communities and businesses are doing to support newcomers to Canada. I was especially happy to have met Afghan newcomers in person and welcome them home, and I was inspired by the stories of how they overcame so many obstacles and are now building a new life in Canada.”

– The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Aidan Strickland

Press Secretary

Minister’s Office

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Aidan.Strickland@cic.gc.ca

Canada – Minister Fraser marks the start of National Francophone Immigration Week 2021

Statement

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:“As the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, it’s important for me to mark National Francophone Immigration Week because I am proud to celebrate the contributions of French-speaking newcomers to communities across Canada, as well as our country’s linguistic duality.

Ottawa, November 8, 2021—The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:

“As the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, it’s important for me to mark National Francophone Immigration Week because I am proud to celebrate the contributions of French-speaking newcomers to communities across Canada, as well as our country’s linguistic duality.

“National Francophone Immigration Week is an opportunity to recognize the importance of Francophone immigration and how Francophone newcomers help communities outside Quebec thrive.

“This year’s theme—the thousand flavours of La Francophonie—is a reminder of the richness of the many cultural flavours and traditions that French-speaking newcomers bring to this country.

“Immigration is key to Canada’s economy. This is why we have taken several steps to align with in-demand occupations in Canada’s labour market, including announcing parallel pathways for Francophone candidates for our temporary resident to permanent resident stream and targeting our overseas promotion.

“When we support welcoming and inclusive communities and provide French-speaking newcomers with assistance to integrate into these communities, we all benefit.

“Along with promoting the value of our official languages, this week is an opportunity to highlight Canada’s efforts to welcome French-speaking newcomers and reach our target of 4.4% French-speaking admissions outside Quebec by 2023.

“I am committed to achieving this goal and will continue to take all possible actions with our partners to promote Francophone immigration and to support our actions to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act.

“I invite everyone to celebrate this country’s tradition of diversity and inclusion and the many ways that Francophone immigration benefits Canada.”

Watch on IRCC’s YouTube channel.

Contacts
For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexander Cohen


Minister’s Office


Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada


613-954-1064

Media Relations


Communications Branch


Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada


613-952-1650


CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca