Ottawa, December 15 (RHC)-- Hundreds of Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada, where they have been immediately granted permanent residency.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this month and another 15,000 by March 1st.

Canadians have welcomed the refugees with video messages of support. Trudeau personally greeted the first group of more than 160 refugees and said: "As they step off the plane as refugees, they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of Canada, with social insurance numbers, with health cards and with an opportunity to become full Canadians."

In Germany, meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants to "drastically decrease" the number of refugees entering Germany amid pressure from within her party. Nearly one million refugees have entered Germany this year; more than 340,000 have submitted asylum applications.