After the February earthquake between Syria and Turkey, the immigration minister of Canada grants immigration help to Syrian and Turkish Nationals. Turkish and Syrian temporary residents living in Canada will benefit from various measures.
During the period March 29 through September 25, 2023, the following policies are in effect:
- The government will give priority processing to petitioners affected by earthquakes.
- It is not necessary to pay any additional fees for Turkish and Syrian citizens who have already arrived in Canada.
- Temporary residents of Turkish and Syrian descent already in Canada can apply for Open Work Permits. It is expected that the OWPs will last no longer than three years.
- With the help of IRCC, temporary residents in Canada will be able to switch their status to a different temporary visa more easily.
- The IRCC waives passport and other travel document requirements for foreigners seeking permanent residency in Canada.
- To facilitate the return of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to Canada from Turkey and Syria, IRCC is waiving fees for emergency travel documents, permanent residence permits, temporary & limited-validity passports, emergency travel documents, and citizenship certificates.
More information about these measures will be posted in the coming week.
Humanitarian help granted by Canada to Syrian and Turkish Nationals in the wake of earthquakes
An earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 that killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed many homes. The government of Canada has allocated $50 million to these two nations in humanitarian aid as of February 24.
Canada’s Syrian and Turkish communities
To grant immigration help to Syrian and Turkish Nationals, Canada launched an extensive program in November 2015.
The number of Syrian refugees accepted by Canada in less than 100 days has surpassed 25,000 by February 2016. Over a quarter (27.8%) of all new refugees to Canada was Syrian-born in the period 2016 to 2021, according to Census 2021 data.
Syria ranks number 10 in the top 10 nations of origin from which a new immigrant to Canada is most likely to come. Approximately 8,500 Syrians will relocate here permanently by 2022. Syria was the country of birth for 97,590 people in the census 2021. 35,270 people chose Turkey as their country of birth, according to the 2021 Census.
In this study, 10,150 people claimed to be recent immigrants (who arrived between 2016 and 2021). Statistics Canada estimates that there are 76,740 Turks in Canada. IRCC information shows that 8,765 Turkish citizens received study permits between 2020 and 2022 that went into effect.
