Some Afghans working for the Canadian mission in Kandahar who face safety risks will be allowed to come to Canada as permanent residents under new special immigration measures, the Tory government announced Tuesday.

Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, said those eligible will have worked 12 cumulative months for the mission and face a risk of being killed or injured because of their work with Canadians.

"We appreciate their service. We recognize the risks they’ve taken and we want to ensure their safety by offering them special consideration if they choose to relocate here to Canada," Kenney said.

He said those who have been injured and can no longer work because of involvement in the area, as well as family members of Afghan nationals killed in the line of duty, will also qualify.

Applicants will still have to meet standard immigration requirements, including criminal, medical and security screening.

The government plans to implement the measures in October. They will end in 2011 to correspond with the end of Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan.

Kenney said those eligible for this program fall between the legal cracks of being deemed refugees. But they would arrive as permanent residents and be eligible for some of the support provided to refugees, including 12 months of income support, health-care coverage and other immigrant-settlement programs, he said.

Kenney was unsure about how many would qualify but estimated it would be in the range of a few hundred, with 150 coming in the first year.