Canada is struggling to achieve its goal of welcoming 81,000 refugees by the end of 2021, according to figures provided by the Immigration Department.

The numbers provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show that the department was nearly halfway towards its goal of receiving refugees by October 31.

As of that date, Canada had welcomed more than 7,800 government-assisted refugees, which is far below the federal government's target of 12,500. Canada had accepted only 4,500 privately sponsored refugees; while the target for privately sponsored refugees was 22,500.

In the same context, IRCC also registered more than 32,000 refugees eligible as "protected persons" - those who sought asylum after entering the country - which is far below its target of 45,000.

In a press statement, the Immigration and Citizenship Department said

  that global migration has been upended by the pandemic and the entire resettlement system is operating at low capacity.

It said refugees often now face stricter travel restrictions in their home countries, making it difficult for them to leave, and due to pandemic-related lockdowns, time was lost for international partners such as the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency to achieve the desired numbers.

The Immigration and Refugee Department said, "In this era of turmoil, we continue to rise to a high level of dedication and commitment by continuing to help the most vulnerable groups in the world find refuge," adding that it helped resettle about a third of refugees worldwide in 2020.

Fleeing a life fraught with danger to daily anxiety

For Bashar Jazmati - who had been waiting for permission to obtain visas for himself and his family as refugees since 2019 - the long wait meant years of fear and uncertainty.

He fled daily street violence in Syria and arrived in Kuwait in 2015, and his family joined him in 2017.

Jazmati and his family members live a life fraught with danger in Kuwait. He has to renew his work visa there periodically.

Refugee advocacy groups said the extreme slowness of the procedures prolongs the waiting time for applicants who are not yet on the waiting list.

The authority did not provide any numbers about the arrivals to Canada through the BVOR program this year, and the Minister of Immigration did not make any statement about it.

IRCC said it expects to launch a semi-private program to reduce resettlement fees for applicants in 2022.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair