Syrians struggling to bring family members to Canada

Canadians of Syrian origin are finding it difficult to bring family members to Canada because of violence in Syria, reports CBC News.

Canadian Syrian Council spokesperson Faisal Alazem stated that many Syrians in Canada are worried about their families back home, and are struggling to stay in contact.

He wants the government to expedite cases where Syrians in Canada will sponsor family members as immigrants.

He also wants the government to give priority to Syrians living in refugee camps and in dangerous parts of the country who have applied for immigration.

Alazem considers his demands similar to what the government has done for countries like Haiti where the 2010 earthquake displaced over 1.5 million people.

Meetings with federal officials and letters sent to Immigration Minster Jason Kennedy have been unsuccessful.

Former assistant director of intelligence at CSIS Ray Boisvert stated that there is risk involved in fast tracking applications without proper background checks.

In January, Canada reduced its staff in Damascus and asked any Canadians in Syria to leave due to ongoing violence in the region.