TORONTO – The government of Canada has announced the opening of the temporary resident pathway for the extended family members of Canadians trapped in Gaza.
As part of the measures by the Government of Canada to support extended family members in Palestine, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the opening of the new temporary resident pathway for extended family members in Gaza of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Under the program, a temporary safe haven would be provided to Palestinians directly affected by the crisis in Gaza who have Canadian citizen or permanent resident family members in Canada willing to support them.
As per an official press release issued on Tuesday, the eligible family members include a spouse, common-law partner, child, grandchild, sibling, parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, as well as their immediate family members (spouse, common-law partner, dependent child and dependent child of a dependent child).
‘Once in Canada, eligible people can apply for a fee-exempt study permit or open work permit under the measures already announced. This will help them to better support themselves in Canada while the crisis in Israel and the Palestinian Territories continues. They will also have access to three months of health coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program to help address any urgent medical needs upon arrival, as well as settlement services such as language training and support connecting with the labour market and local community,’ the press release stated.
The authorities have also clarified that applicants who can exit Gaza will also need to meet all admissibility requirements including biometrics before they can be approved to come to Canada.
“The situation on the ground in Gaza is challenging and volatile. These new measures provide a humanitarian pathway to safety and recognize the importance of keeping families together given the ongoing crisis. We will continue to monitor the situation in Gaza very closely as it evolves and adapt our response accordingly,” said Marc Miller.
It bears mentioning that the government has announced that the exemptions for temporary resident visa applicants under the public policy expire January 9, 2025, or when 1,000 temporary resident visa applications have been received and accepted for processing, whichever comes first.
