Canadian Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, announced Monday that Canada will be increasing the number of temporary resident visa (TRV) applications that will be accepted.
This comes after Canada addressed the crisis in Gaza which implemented special measures for extended family. These special measures were put in place for Palestinians who currently live in Gaza, are related to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who lives or intends to live in Canada and will be supported in Canada by the Canadian citizen for 1 year. In most cases, a temporary resident will be permitted to stay for up to three years, assuming their passport and biometrics are valid.
The program initially allotted 1,000 temporary visas, but due to the high demand, this number was increased to 5,000. As it stands, 448 Gazans have been issued a TRV, but only 41 have arrived in Canada so far. Miller expressed concern for the current state of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but remained optimistic about the Canadian government’s continued efforts, stating: “While movement out of Gaza is not currently possible, the situation may change at any time. With this cap increase, we will be ready to help more people as the situation evolves. Our focus remains on keeping families together.”
Miller said that both Israel and Egypt will play important roles in implementing these measures and helping to reunite families in Canada.
Explained the efforts, Miller continued:
Canada continues to put forward the names of those who have passed preliminary screening to local authorities to secure their exit from Gaza. Israel and Egypt are both important partners in implementing these temporary, humanitarian measures and helping people reunite with their family in Canada. Canada is working—at every level—to facilitate the exit of extended family members and advocate for their safety. We will continue to advocate for people’s safety.
However, there may be some concerns about this increase in TRVs so soon after temporary immigration visas (TIV) were decreased in March, following concerns over a resource shortage in the country.
