TORONTO – The government of Canada has relaxed the visa restrictions to support Iranian temporary residents in Canada as well as Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Iran.
The relaxation has been granted in the backdrop of the arrests made after the killing of Mahsa Amini – the woman who died unexpectedly on September 16, 2022 in the custody of law enforcers over the Hijab controversy.
Announcing the extension of special measures until February 28, 2025, the government has stated that under the special measures, Iranian nationals in Canada with valid temporary resident status can continue to study, work or visit family by applying for an extension of their status free of charge.
The authorities have also announced that the Iranians can also apply to move between temporary streams, from within Canada, at no cost.
‘Additionally, Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents in Iran who wish to leave can continue to apply for passports and permanent resident travel documents for free,’ said an official statement.
Briefly, the government has announced that Iranian temporary residents don’t have to pay application or biometric fees when they apply to extend their current temporary resident status or when they apply to change their temporary resident status for example, from a visitor to a worker. Moreover, they will not be charged for an additional open work permit or study permit under these measures.
Moreover, Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Iran can apply for the following documents for free:
- Limited validity Canadian passport
- Canadian citizenship certificate
- Permanent resident travel document
To avail of the benefits under the relaxation, the applicants can navigate to this page.
