Feds using ‘new strategy’ to help those impacted by Turkey, Syria earthquakes

Canada has announced new measures to help people affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

On Saturday, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced at a news conference in Mississauga, Ontario, that Turkish and Syrian temporary residents in Canada can apply to extend their status at no charge, effective March 29. They can also apply for an open work permit, which allows them to stay in Canada for up to three years.

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Canada will also eliminate the need for acceptance of a passport or travel document for permanent resident visas, noting that some of those affected may have lost documents. Fraser also said fees for temporary passports and emergency travel documents would be waived for those returning to Canada, as well as for Canadian citizenship certificates and permanent resident travel documents.

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“Today we are introducing new measures that will make it easier for Turkish and Syrian nationals to extend their stay in Canada and be with their families while continuing to work and study in a safe environment,” Fraser said in a statement. Are.”

Canada is processing permanent and temporary residency applications from people affected by the earthquake on a priority basis. As of 8 February, some 16,000 applications from Syria and Turkey were in progress, of which 1,700 (750 permanent, 920 temporary residents) involved people from the affected areas, according to the government.

“For those who apply for temporary residence visas, we will be able to process their applications with priority,” Fraser told a news conference.

“[There are]special measures that we are implementing, internal to our system, to provide guidance to our officers to facilitate the approval of their cases so that they can come to Canada.”

Fraser said the government had learned from its efforts to accept people fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country last year. He said the government offered temporary protection to large numbers of people from Ukraine much faster than normal refugee resettlement programs.

“We are using a new strategy to help facilitate the arrival of people who find themselves in situations (that) might not normally be approved to come to Canada,” he said.

“The specific mechanism we are using involves the use of advanced analytics within the IRCC system to identify people affected by the earthquake and make positive eligibility decisions for an entire group of applicants at once.”

More than 50,000 people have been killed and millions displaced by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on 6 February, as well as its powerful aftershocks.

As of March 10, Canada had approximately 600 Syrian and 6,400 Turkish residents with temporary status that is due to expire within six months, according to the government.

As of 24 February, $50 million had been announced by the federal government in support of the earthquake response.

With files from The Canadian Press