Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney has recently returned to Canada from an official trip to the Middle East, where he met with senior government officials and important community and religious leaders in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel.

During his trip, Minister Kenney visited prominent religious and memorial sites and checked in on the operations at Canadian immigration visa offices in the region.

In Lebanon, Minister Kenney held a press conference to discuss expanded services at the Canadian immigration visa office in Beirut . On behalf of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), he also announced new federal funding to encourage continuing electoral reform in Lebanon.

In Syria, he met with Iraqi refugees who will soon be arriving in Canada. He reviewed operations at the Canadian immigration visa office in Damascus, and discussed what CIMC is doing to increase the number of Iraqi refugees coming to Canada.