Zal Karkaria, Visa Officer, shares a glimpse into the operations centre in Amman

At this moment, one of Canada's largest overseas visa operations is located in an airplane hangar at an obscure airport on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital of Amman. A few metres from where interviews are taking place, airplanes of all sizes take off and land regularly, the roar of their engines briefly drowning out the various noises inside the hangar: babies crying, children shrieking, scanners bleeping, workmen banging away on their tools and the voices of hundreds of people—visa officers, interpreters, soldiers, medical officers, form fillers, ushers, cleaners, babysitters, security screeners and of course, refugees. The scene is surreal and inspiring, a testament to the dedication of the staff involved and the vision of those who created this visa office in this unlikeliest of places.

Each morning, six days a week (Friday is a day off) a team of Canadian staff are loaded into minivans for the drive to the site. The temperature at that time of day is invariably in the single digits and the shelter of the hangar offers little warmth until the heaters kick in a bit later in the day.

Various stations have been set up in order to run the refugees through virtually all stages of processing in one place as quickly as possible. There are stations for form filling, biometrics collection, interviews and medical exams. Staff from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), sometimes in uniform sometimes in civilian clothing depending on their orders, acts as ushers, leading the clients from station to station, holding their documents in clear plastic folders. CAF personnel also collect biometrics and assist with data entry. They are also an occasional source of entertainment for the refugees waiting patiently for their interviews, playing with the children, and impressing with feats of strength, often to a round of applause for their efforts. Theirs has been an invaluable contribution to ensuring that workflow is efficient and secure and their presence has been greatly appreciate by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada staff.

Security partners have also provided excellent cooperation. They man the Case Assessment Unit where, with the assistance of keen-eyed locally engaged staff from the Embassy they verify documents, screen applicants and flag any potential issues of concern to visa officers. They have helped correct innumerable name spellings and dates of birth as they conduct their verifications.

Interviews take place at booths where families of six, seven, eight and more people huddle around a small table directly in front of visa officers. The children loll about, bored, falling asleep in the most unlikely of positions; parents and older children fidget nervously as they answer questions. Their stories quickly become familiar. Bombings made it impossible to work or send children to school; these same children terrified of the explosions around them.

Positive decisions are greeted with a variety of reactions from clients: shy smiles and silent tears representing mixed emotions—joy, relief and a bit of puzzlement, uncertain as to what will happen next.  There may also be a tinge of sadness at knowing that home will soon be far away from where they so recently lived. Officers explain that they must be ready to travel soon, and answer questions about Canada: where will I stay? How will I work? Will the government help me? And, of course—is it cold? (Yes, yes it is).

The end of the work day sees the last of the refugees board International Organization for Migration buses. The massive hangar empties and the temperature cools. Officers again pile into shuttles for the ride home through the clogged streets of Amman. Thousands of refugees have been interviewed in a few weeks —a remarkable feat – and thousands more will comes in the days ahead.

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