Greater Victoria has welcomed 154 Government Assisted Refugees from Syria during the month of February. ICA staff have been busy working in partnership with the Red Cross to provide on-site essential services to refugee families and are happy to report that the general orientation session is well underway: paperwork is being processed, newcomers are attending housing, financial, and cultural orientation sessions offered in Arabic, bank accounts with Van City are opened, and the process of looking for permanent housing has begun.

Housing continues to be a main priority and we encourage anyone with information on housing to please complete this survey.

ICA is grateful for the ongoing support of the public after raising over 1 million dollars for refugee sponsorship. We also want to thank all of the volunteers and staff who have been working tirelessly to ensure newcomer families are equipped with the necessary resources to begin their new lives in Canada.