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Overwhelmed by the flood of Syrians fleeing their country since 2011, the UNHCR has only been able to go through the intensive screening process needed to designate someone a refugee for a fraction of the population.

“There is no way the UNHCR can actually have individual interviews with everybody they register to determine whether they are a Geneva Convention refugee,” said Naomi Alboim of Lifeline Syria, a Toronto-based organization working to facilitate private sponsorships. “It’s beyond their resources.”

The Turkish government, which has taken responsibility for registering and designating refugees flowing into the country, faces similar challenges.

The Conservative government has promised that Canada will accept 11,300 Syrian refugees by the end of 2017. Of that total, more than 7,000 are expected to come through private sponsorship, with the remainder being sponsored by the government.

Yet refugee groups say only sponsorship agreement holders have had any real success bringing Syrians to Canada. They say the majority of G5 sponsors, such as Tima Kurdi, have been stonewalled.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander all but confirmed that the government rejected Kurdi’s application because of the rule. “It was returned to the applicant with a request for additional documentation, in this case, a confirmation of a refugee convention status as determined by the UN High Commission for Refugees,” Alexander said.

His office did not respond to interview requests Friday.

Syrian Canadian Council spokesman Faisal Alazem described the requirement as a “barrier” for private sponsorship “since only a very small portion of refugees have been recognized by the UNHCR.”

The minister does have the ability to waive the requirement for groups of applicants. Alboim said Lifeline Syria sent Alexander two letters asking him to make an exception for Syrians. Other groups say they have done the same.

“He’s aware. The department’s aware. We have received no formal replies from the minister,” Alboim said.