Operational Movements and Resettlements

The Operational Movements and Resettlement unit began activities during the Tajik civil war to assist the Government of Tajikistan to return over 85,000 Tajik refugees from Afghanistan and other neighbouring countries, as well as 65,000 internally displaced Tajiks.

In cooperation with UNHCR, IOM has assisted with the return of more than 15,000 Afghan refugees from Tajikistan to Afghanistan and resettled over 6,000 Afghan refugees to third countries, such as Canada, the United States of America, and several European countries.

Since 2013, the vast majority of the beneficiaries IOM has resettled have moved to Canada. Before resettlement in Canada, refugees attend an IOM-organized three day cultural orientation training. The training focuses on issues related to accessing education, labour market integration and addresses potential cultural differences to support their integration into Canadian life.

Canada Visa Application Centre

IOM Tajikistan operates the Canada Visa Application Centre (CVAC) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. CVAC is the exclusive service provider for the Government of Canada, authorized to accept applications in all temporary resident categories (visitor visas, study and work permits) and travel document applications from Canada’s permanent residents in Tajikistan. For more detailed information about CVAC activity, please see here.