Calgary chosen as port of entry for Afghan refugees arriving in Canada from U.S.

Calgary has been chosen as a port of entry for Afghan refugees coming to Canada, and about 5,000 will arrive over the coming months for processing before they are relocated to communities around the country.

Thousands fled Afghanistan while thousands of others remained stranded following the August withdrawal of U.S. troopsand the return of the Taliban to power.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to bring 20,000 Afghan refugees in Canada.

And within the next 3 months, Calgaryis due to receive about 5,000 Afghans who were first evacuated to the United States, according to Fariborz Birjandian.

He is the CEO of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and the national co-chair of the Afghan Resettlement Operation.

"We have made preparations to have them to come to Calgary, stay in quarantine, go through all the paperwork, then help with immigration, with COVID," Birjandian told the Calgary Eyeopener on Monday.

"And[then] they're sent to 35 communities across the country."

Why Calgary was chosen

Calgary was chosen as a port of entry, Birjandian said,for factors that includeits readiness, availability, expertiseandliving space.

Thousands of Syrian refugees settled in Calgary and its surrounding areas about three years ago, he said, and it required strong partnerships with communities, school boards and the city.

That network-building experience is likely a bigreason whythe city was chosen.

Volunteers who will be helping the process this timeincludemembers of Calgary's ownAfghan community and veterans,Birjandian said.

Upon arriving, the Afghanswill be provided with accommodation for a two week-quarantine, encouraged to keep active,andhelped with health-care andpaperwork for immigration.

"These people are coming basically with nothing," Birjandian said. "This is very complex."

Refugees also arriving in Calgary to live

There are also Afghan refugees coming to Calgary to make ittheir home, and 60have already arrived,Birjandiansaid.

They were among thefirst 3,700 people who were evacuated directly from Kabul to Toronto,where they quarantined for two weeks.

On Tuesday, Birjandiansaid, Calgary expects to receive 40 more.

"They were lucky to go to that airport in Kabul and get on the plane and come. They left a lot of loved ones behind,"Birjandian said.

"We have quitegood human resources available in Calgary, and also logistically,with the hotels, with the airport, everything.

"[It]makes it, I think, very welcoming environment for these people."

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.