WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has directed his administration to prepare to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.

The number reflects a “significant scaling up” of the US commitment to accept refugees from the war-torn country and to provide for their basic needs, said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

The United States will have to make a significant financial commitment and take national security precautions in order to increase the number of Syrian refugees it admits, said the White House spokesman.

“Congress would need to make a significant financial commitment to ramping up,” he said, noting the additional background checks and processing would require greater staffing.

“I do feel confident in telling you that the president will not sign off on a process that cuts corners when it comes to the basic safety and security of the American people and the U.S. homeland,” Earnest also said.