Alan Kurdi family to reunite in Vancouver area

Tima Kurdi, the aunt of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, whose body was photographed washed up on a Turkish beach, will be reunited with seven members of her family on Monday in the Vancouver area.

Kurdi's brother Mohammad, his wife and five children will move into the Kurdi home in Coquitlam after spending more than two years in Turkey after fleeing Syria.

Alan's father Abdullah, Tima Kurdi's other brother, survived the capsizing, but has no plans to come to Canada.

• Tima Kurdi prepares for family's arrival in Canada
• Mixed emotions as Kurdi family prepares for Canadian reunification
• Application to sponsor Mohammad Kurdi to Canada returned as incomplete

Kurdi says her nieces and nephews have been counting the days to their arrival in Canada. 

"Two weeks when I told them about the date, the flight and stuff, to them, it's the most longest two weeks ever," Kurdi told CBC.

"It's going to be mixed up with happiness," she added. "Happy for them, for the kids to see their smiles. A new life, a new beginning in a safe place."

Kurdi says the first priority is to get the children enrolled in school. Mohammad who was a barber in Syria,  will join the family business and work alongside his sister at her hair salon.

Tima Kurdi is privately sponsoring the family of seven.

Her original application for Mohammad's family was returned to her as incomplete but she was invited to apply again after the highly publicized death of her nephew Alan.

The photo of his body washed up on a Turkish beach has become the defining image of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Alan Kurdi drowned alongside his five-year-old brother and mother trying to reach Greece by boat.