Question Period Note: FACILITATIVE MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS IN LEBANON

On August 4, 2020, two explosions took place at the Port of Beirut, resulting in more than 175 fatalities, 6,500 hospitalized and many more injured, 40 persons missing and another 300,000 who have suffered damage to their homes. On August 13, 2020, the Government of Canada set up a task force to provide assistance to support the delivery of consular services, and to ensure that questions related to immigration can be quickly addressed.

• Canada continues to stand with the people of Lebanon as they rebuild their lives and their city in the wake of the tragic explosion in Beirut.

• As part of the government’s response, Canada is making it easier and faster for Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents, and their immediate family members who have been personally affected by the explosion, to return to Canada.

• Canada is prioritizing travel documents for Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents in Lebanon so they can return home at any time. We will also waive processing fees to make the process easier and faster.

• We continue to monitor the situation closely in Lebanon to ensure that survivors of the recent tragedy receive the help they need. We remain engaged and stand ready to assist however we can.

• If pressed
• Lebanese citizens in Canada on a temporary basis can apply to extend their stay in Canada as a visitor, student or worker if they are unable to return home because of the explosion. To be as facilitative as possible, Canada will waive the processing fees for them.

• If pressed on reunification
• To support family reunification, Canada created an exemption to the travel restrictions for immediate family members of Canadians citizens and permanent residents, including a spouse or common-law partner, dependent child, parent or step-parent and guardian or tutor.

• If pressed on special measures
• Special measures oblige officers to prioritize visitor visa applications for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents who’ve been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut so they can join their loved ones in Canada.

• If pressed on students
• International students, including Lebanese students, can also travel to Canada, as long as they have a valid study permit or were approved for a study permit on or before March 18, 2020 and are coming for an essential (non-discretionary) purpose.

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• In addition, as the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Lebanon continues to rise, the Department has some public safety concerns and any individuals facilitated through these measures will be subject to current mandatory quarantine requirements.

• IRCC’s operations are still significantly affected by COVID and are only slowly restarting. The office in Beirut only has 3 Canadian based officers on staff (from the regular 7) and in-Canada operations for family class are still only working at a fraction of regular processing.
• On Thursday September 3, 2020, a web notice outlining the Department’s special measures for Lebanese clients affected by the blast was issued as per PCO’s request.

• The Department will ensure that individuals described in these measures are prioritized. Eligible applicants who apply online have to self-identify through the dedicated mailbox, and are required to provide documentary evidence substantiating their eligibility. On September 15, 2020, IRCC’s dedicated email address was announced to the public in tandem with the announcement of other facilitation measures.

• On September 15, 2020, Program Delivery Instructions providing processing guidelines to officers on the facilitative measures for the Beirut, Lebanon explosion, were published.

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