Syria, Iraq refugees to arrive in 2 months

Australia can expect the first influx of refugees from the Middle East in two months as the government ramps up processing efforts.

The federal government says it is moving quickly to start processing Syrian refugees since announcing an intake of 12,000 people forced to flee Syria and northern Iraq.

"It is important that we get (identity, health and security) checks right, but we expect we will have the first refugees heading to Australia in the next two months," Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told AAP in a statement.