Question Period Note: Government Of Canada’s Response To The Situation In Gaza

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) put in place facilitative measures and established a temporary resident pathway to allow foreign nationals in Gaza who are related to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to come to Canada.

• IRCC has put measures in place to provide temporary safe haven for up to 5,000 Palestinians directly affected by the conflict in Gaza who have Canadian citizen or permanent resident family members in Canada willing to support them.
• IRCC has now accepted 5,000 applications into processing and intake is closed. Processing of applications is ongoing.

• In addition to applications processed through the temporary measures, Palestinians who left Gaza on or after October 7, 2023, have also been able to apply under IRCC’s existing programs.

• As of May 04, 1,188 people who exited Gaza and had Temporary Resident Visa applications in process were able to submit biometrics, complete their application, and have been approved. 810 Gazans have arrived in Canada.

If pressed on movement out of Gaza
• Movement out of Gaza is extremely challenging due to factors outside of Canada’s control, and Canada does not ultimately decide who can exit Gaza. The Rafah border has been closed since May 7, 2024.
• The Government of Canada, in collaboration with our partners, is closely monitoring the situation in the region.

• In October 2023, IRCC supported a GAC-led consular operation that enabled the assisted departures of over 2,500 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and eligible family members out of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza (via Rafah).
• On December 21, 2023, IRCC announced temporary immigration measures to support extended family members of Canadians and permanent residents of Canada residing in Gaza. The public policy launched on January 9, 2024 and on April 22, 2024, the cap was increased from 1,000 to 5,000 TRV applications.
• On January 16, 2025, IRCC announced financial assistance for Gazans arriving in Canada as well as waiving TRV application and biometric collection fees for people applying for the temporary measures. IRCC has now issued refunds to those who applied before the waiver was in place.
• IRCC has also waived fees for those who apply to extend their temporary resident status in Canada.

Security screening:
• To support the movement of Palestinians out of Gaza and to protect the health and safety of Canadians, a multi-stage security screening approach was developed.
• By using the enhanced biographic information applicants provide, Canada is able to conduct preliminary security screening while people are still in Gaza. Provided no inadmissibility concerns are flagged, people who are able to exit Gaza will have their biometrics collected in a third country.
• This is part of standard practice in crisis situations where IRCC does not have a presence on the ground to initiate screening and collection of biometrics, as we did with Afghanistan.

Displacement:
• Our priority is to reunite families in a way that does not impede their ability to return to Gaza when circumstances permit. This pathway is temporary in nature and is intended to provide safe haven in Canada for three years.

On comparison to other crises’ responsive measures (e.g. Ukraine):
• When responding to international crises, the Government of Canada tailors each response to meet the unique needs of those who require our support.
• We evaluate how Canada can best help by looking at what solutions are most appropriate, whether existing immigration and refugee programs are sufficient, or if new solutions are required.

On Government of Canada supports:
• Palestinians impacted by the crisis who left Gaza and arrive in Canada by May 31, 2025, may be eligible to receive a one-time transitional financial assistance to help them cover basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing.
• Additional supports are also made available, including three months of health care coverage through the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) and federally-funded settlement supports to help find a job, search for housing, and enroll their children in schools or daycares.
• Canada has also refunded temporary resident visa (TRV) application fees and biometrics fees for eligible Palestinians and their immediate family members who applied to the special measures for extended family members.
• Palestinians and their immediate family members can also apply for fee-exempt study or open work permits from within Canada or to extend their temporary resident status until July 31, 2025.