As a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is a major contributor to international peace and security, Canada is taking a lead role in ensuring that NATO is able to resettle all its Afghan staff who were evacuated. As part of the commitment to welcome Afghan refugees, the government is resettling up to 472 NATO-identified locally engaged staff and their family members.
Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, extended a warm virtual welcome to 265 NATO locally engaged staff and their families who landed at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Approximately 100 will remain in Nova Scotia, and the rest will continue on to their new homes across Canada.
These former NATO employees arrived in Canada from a third country where they had been temporarily located since leaving Afghanistan. They are part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to welcome 15,000 individuals through its special humanitarian program for Afghan refugees.