Canada’s immigration minister has just announced a range of measures to help Turkish and Syrian temporary residents living in Canada.
Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, today unveiled additional procedures in reaction to the February earthquake that happened between Turkey and Syria.
The measures, which will be in effect between March 29 and September 25, 2023, include:
- Immigration petitions submitted by earthquake victims will receive priority processing.
- Turkish and Syrian nationals already in Canada may extend their short-term stays without paying any further fees.
- Turkish and Syrian temporary residents already in Canada are eligible for new Open Work Permits. The OWPs will last for a maximum of three years.
- Temporary residents in Canada will find it simpler to change their status to a different temporary visa thanks to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
- IRCC will waive passports and travel document requirements for those overseas seeking Canadian permanent residence.
- For Canadian citizens and permanent residents from Turkey and Syria seeking to return to Canada, IRCC is waiving fees for temporary passports, limited-validity passports, emergency travel documents, Canadian citizenship certificates, and permanent resident travel papers.
IRCC says more information on these measures will be posted on its website in the coming weeks.
Canada’s humanitarian effort during the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6, figures from both countries indicate more than 50,000 people were killed and many more have lost their homes.
As of February 24, Canada has allocated $50 million in humanitarian support for both countries.
Syrian and Turkish communities in Canada
Canada initiated a major Syrian refugee initiative in November 2015.
Over 100 days, Canada welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees by February 2016.
Data from Census 2021 shows between 2016 and 2021 there were 60,795 Syrian-born refugees admitted to Canada, accounting for over one-quarter (27.8%) of Canada’s new refugees.
One of the top 10 nations from which new immigrants come to Canada is Syria. 8,500 Syrians will move here permanently in 2022. According to the Census of 2021, 97,590 persons identified Syria as their country of birth.
35,270 people chose Turkey as their country of birth, according to the 2021 Census.
10,150 of them claimed to be recent immigrants (arriving between 2016 and 2021).
According to Statistics Canada, there are 76,740 Canadians of Turkish descent.
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