What Syrian refugees arriving at Pearson will see

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We are getting our first look at the port of entry being set up at Pearson Airport for Syrian refugees arriving in Canada.

They will enter at gate 521, which is in a separate area from the arrivals area travellers use. It’s in a section built during the renovations of terminal one, and is only used for special events such as the G8-G20 summit in 2010.

The area’s been given a fresh coat of paint, fresh art work for the refugees, and fresh signage that includes arabic. After being prioritized they will head down the hallway where 30 cubicles have been set up by Canada Border Services Agents, where they will be processing paperwork, checking fingerprints and making sure the refugees are who they say they are.

There is another section after that where Service Canada will be issuing Social Insurance Numbers so they can get jobs and access services. They will also get immigration identification documents. There’s another section where public health officers will be assessing how the refugees are feeling and dealing with any health issues.

And yet another area has been set up where full winter clothing will be handed out. There’s a play area for kids, there’s a place where they’ll be given snacks, and we’re hearing from Canada Border Services Agents that they had a wave of volunteers from across the country who wanted to come here to help process these refugees.

The CBSA’s Christine Durocher: “Our goal is to help individuals get through becoming permanent residents as securely and efficiently as possible for them to move on to the important task of integrating into our society. When our new arrivals leave the airport, they will do so as permanent residents of Canada.”

The whole process is expected to take about four hours, and then the refugees will be bussed to their next destination. We are told that they can process about three planefuls a day.

The Pearson port of entry is expected to remain active until February and the first wave of 160 refugees is expected this week; the rumour is Thursday and that has yet to be confirmed by the immigration minister.