A look at the cost of Syrian refugee resettlement, by the numbers

OTTAWA – In November, the Liberal government unveiled a program to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February. The budget for the program was set at $678 million over six years, broken down into five phases.

On Thursday, the government said preliminary estimates put the cost of the first year of the program at $319 million, about $136 million less than expected. Here’s a look at the original budget for the program, and what was spent in 2015-2016, by the numbers:

Identification

Budgeted: $17 to $21 million

Spent: $10.1 million

Processing

Budgeted: $36 to $46 million

Spent: $39.7 million

Transportation

Budgeted: $94 to $121 million

Spent: $58.7 million

Welcoming Refugees

Budgeted: $61 to $77 million

Spent: $74.2 million

Settlement and Integration

Budgeted: $325 to $377 million

Spent: $32.6 million

Corporate support:

Budgeted: $31 to $36 million

Spent: $9.1 million

The department also includes $90 million for humanitarian activities in their bottom line for 2015-2016, as well as $4.7 million in costs associated with sending over staff.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?