Some Syrian refugees to arrive in 2017

Some of the 12,000 Syrian refugees set to call Australia home will have to wait until 2017 to be resettled.

A Senate estimates hearing has been told the resettlement transition will happen over a number of financial years, and so far only 26 of them have been resettled.

It's going to take longer than anticipated because of immigration checks, Department of Social Services deputy secretary Barbara Bennett told the Canberra hearing on Thursday.