Ottawa scrambles to find safe passage for more than 1,200 people with ties to Canada stuck in country,

Ottawa urges patience as officials work with neighbouring Pakistan

Ottawa is urging Canadians and vulnerable Afghans looking to come to Canada to “stay put” as officials try to secure safe passage for them to get out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Tuesday there are about 1,250 Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as their family members, remaining in the country after the international evacuation effort with allies ended Monday.

“At the moment, our advice to Canadians and Canadian permanent residents in Afghanistan and vulnerable Afghans is to stay put because the situation at this point is uncertain,” said Garneau, who is working with Pakistan to allow safe land border passage for Afghans.

“We’re trying very hard to get the Taliban to agree to allow people to leave safely. And obviously, we’re also working on trying to get the airport open again.”

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada has entered into an agreement with the U.S. to welcome 5,000 Afghan nationals evacuated from the country by the Americans.

“We’re pulling out all the stops to help as many Afghans as possible who want to make their home in Canada. Again, this includes those who either want to leave Afghanistan or who have already arrived in a third country,” he said.

There have been complaints by Afghans looking to come to Canada that the “facilitation letters” issued by Canadian officials are no longer valid.

Mendicino blamed that on the Taliban for “moving the goalposts” on what is expected at checkpoints.

Afghans who have applied and been approved to come to Canada do not need to reapply and a new document will be automatically reissued to facilitate their travel out of Afghanistan.

“We are solving to be sure that the documents that we issue them (now) will work at those checkpoints,” said the immigration minister.

Canada has received more than 2,500 applications from

Afghan interpreters and civilians who worked for the Canadian Forces, representing 8,000 people in total, since Ottawa rolled out a special program to help those former local staff who have become the targets of the insurgents. Two thirds of those have been processed.

To date, Mendicino said, about 3,700 people, including Canadian citizens and permanent residents, have been evacuated form Afghanistan and immigration officials will continue to process pending visa applications and stay in touch with those still trapped in Afghanistan.

On Monday, the United Nations Security Council also adopted a resolution that calls on the Taliban to allow a safe, secure and orderly departure from Afghanistan and allow humanitarians to access the country, Garneau said.

“This will be the first true test for the Taliban from the international community. We will judge them by their actions, not their words,” he noted.

“Afghans with travel documents to other countries must be allowed to move safely and freely out of the country without interference. Canada and its allies are firm on this point, and we are united.”

Garneau said the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan does not mark the end of the efforts to bring those who are still in Afghanistan to safety.

“It simply means that we are entering a new phase of our operations. Let me be clear. We will not stop before we evacuate remaining Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families and the vulnerable Afghans who have supported our work in Afghanistan,” he said.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada will welcome 5,000 Afghan nationals evacuated from the country by the U.S.