Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome to our committee. Many of you have been here before.
I have been a member of this committee since 2004. I've had an opportunity to discuss the refugee problem with several of you. I have with me some departmental figures from July 28 last. It appears that world wide, there is a backlog of approximately 14,500 cases, with many of the applicants from Africa. Out of a total of 8,454 cases, nearly half are from Nairobi and the other half from Damascus. Asia is the second most important region in terms of the number of sponsorship applications received, specifically the Islamabad office, as my colleague mentioned.
Ms. Vanderlip, you mentioned earlier that you had met with departmental representatives who expressed views on certain regions. Would you care to share with the committee the directives issued or the concerns of the department with respect to Africa and Asia?