March 18, 2023—Mississauga, Ontario—As part of Canada’s response to the situation in Turkiye and Syria, the Government of Canada is accepting temporary and permanent residence applications from people affected by the devastating earthquake, including asylum applications. are processed with priority. Resettlement. We are currently taking steps to make it easier for Turkish and Syrian nationals already in Canada to extend their stay.
Today, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser announced new immigration measures to support Turkish and Syrian temporary residents in Canada who may not be able to return home at this time due to earthquake damage in the region. Did.
Starting March 29, 2023, Turkish and Syrian nationals can continue to study, work, and visit family by applying for a free extension of their residence status. Turks and Syrians already in Canada will also be able to take advantage of the open work permit pathway. These measures will make it easier for Turks and Syrians who wish to extend their temporary status in Canada and move between temporary flows.
Recognizing that some permanent residence applicants lost their travel documents as a result of the earthquake, we waive the requirement to hold a passport or travel document for approval of a permanent residence visa when coming to Canada. It will also make it easier for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Turkiye and Syria to return to Canada by waiving fees for temporary passports, limited validity passports and emergency travel documents, in addition to Canadian citizenship certificates and permanent resident travel documents. I am.
These new measures build on work already underway to prioritize overseas applications from people personally affected by the earthquake. All new and existing temporary residence applications and permanent residence applications, including refugee resettlement applications, from affected areas are being processed on a priority basis. This includes visitor visa applications that allow immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to join their loved ones in Canada.
Canada is also working with UN partners in the region to provide temporary shelter to severely affected refugees while they await the processing of their applications in Canada’s resettlement process. We will continue to closely monitor the needs of our community and respond as needed.
