Turkish and Syrian temporary residents in Canada. Twitter page of Sean Fraser
Toronto/CMEDIA: In response to the situation in Türkiye and Syria, the Government of Canada has reportedly been processing temporary and permanent residence applications from people affected by the devastating earthquakes on a priority basis, including applications for refugee resettlement.
In addition to this, Canada is also taking steps to make it easier for Turkish and Syrian nationals already in Canada to extend their stay.
New immigration measures to support Turkish and Syrian temporary residents in Canada who may be unable to return home at this time due to the destruction caused by the earthquakes in the region have been announced by Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Turkish and Syrian nationals can continue, effective March 29, 2023, to study, work or visit family by applying for an extension of their status free of charge.
Turkish and Syrian nationals already in Canada would be provided with an open work permit pathway to facilitate them to extend their temporary status in Canada and to move between temporary streams.
The requirement to hold a passport or travel document to be approved for a permanent resident visa to come to Canada would also be waived recognizing that some permanent residence applicants have lost their travel documents as a result of the earthquakes.
Fees for the Canadian citizens and permanent residents from Türkiye and Syria would be waived for temporary passports, limited-validity passports or emergency travel documents, as well as Canadian citizenship certificates and permanent resident travel documents.
The area to provide temporary shelter for refugees in Canada’s resettlement process who have been seriously impacted while they wait for their applications to be processed is also being looked into by Canada with UN partners.
Continuing to closely monitor the needs of people in the region, Canada would adapt its response as needed.
#Canada; #Supporting; #TurkishandSyrianTemporaryResidents
