Wednesday July 24, 2019
The most recent government-sponsored refugees are mostly Somalis who were housed in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Uganda.
“For the first year the government assists them because they came through government,” said Bezaye Beyene, a settlement counsellor at Brooks and County Immigration Services (BCIS).
She said families can spend between 10 and 14 days in a hotel until housing is found for them. During that time staff from BCIS and other organizations will work with them helping them to fulfill their needs, such as food and clothes.“When we welcome them here the first day or the first night, we give them information so they can prepare themselves,” she said.
While they settle over the next year and beyond, the work with families continues.
“We don’t just rush them to work. They need to know the culture, the environment, they need to adapt themselves. They also need orientation and information,” Beyene said.
Since education is one of the top priorities BCIS will help each family enroll the roughly 15 school aged children and also adults in programs such as English as a Second Language. Professionals may choose to upgrade their skills at other facilities.
While the 30 or so refugees settle in the community it is well below the 400 that many long time Brooks residents posted on social media and a number that reached the ears of Bow River MP Martin Shields.
“They’ve averaged 80 refugees per year. That 400 number is nonsense,” he said.
It’s unknown if Brooks will settle other refugees but it’s unlikely to be near 400 people although that number is up to the government.
“When they come here we just accommodate them and enter them into our system,” Beyene said.
In addition to the refugees in June and July Brooks also welcomed secondary immigrants, those who have been in Canada for unspecified period of time, who arrived specifically for employment.
According to Statistics Canada, between January and April, Canada received 65,959 permanent immigrants, which was the lowest first quarter number since 2015.
For 2019, the federal government’s total admission target in all immigration categories is 330,800. Of those, the target is 16,500 refugees and protected persons of which 9,300 will be government-assisted refugees.