Palestinian-Canadians say temporary visa program is failing people trapped in Gaza

Canada announced the temporary residency visa program for family members of citizens and permanent residents who are trapped in Gaza in January. Ten months later, more than 40 human rights organizations have signed a letter pleading with the federal government to reform the program.

Saadiya Joha says she has lost more than 200 members of her extended family in Gaza since the start of the war. And she says she is is still waiting to receive unique codes for seven of her 10 loved ones, to apply for temporary visas to be accepted.

"How do I answer them when I cannot guarantee their safety or offer them the help they so desperately need?" she asked.

In order to apply for a temporary visa a family member in Canada must first provide a list of names and birth dates of relatives. They are then given a unique code for each name submitted, which is when they can begin the application process.

It requires extensive background information, including a complete work history, details of social media accounts, and proof of bodily scars.

"I successfully collected all of the information but in August (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) rejected the documentation demanding a death certificate which is nearly impossible in Gaza “explains Nariman Ajjur, another Palestinian-Canadian with family trapped in Gaza.

Some Palestinians who have escaped Gaza and are now trapped in other countries are unable to apply through the program – and instead are trying for a tourist visa.

Randall Cohn is a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer, he has clients who are attempting to apply for a temporary visa for their family members.

Cohn says the "level of detail and documentation" is like nothing he has ever seen before.

“Those who diligently completed this paperwork, often sorting through rubble and sending back images to their families in Canada during rare moments of access to communication networks receive the same email that all applicants for Canadian visas receive instructing them to attend a biometrics appointment for the collection of their pictures,” he said.

Cohn goes on to explain that “the closest visa processing centre is in Cairo.”

Visa process for other refugees

The program was announced in January with a promise of issuing visas for 1,000 people in Gaza.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the government is using a multi-stage security screening process, similar to the one implemented for visa applicants from Afghanistan in 2022.

This is necessary as "IRCC has no presence in Gaza and (is) unable to collect biometrics,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. People who are then able to leave the war-torn region will have their biometrics collected in another country.

"Only applicants who pass full biometric, security and admissibility screening will be allowed to travel onward to Canada,” the statement said.

As of Nov. 9, 2024, there are 4,442 applications accepted into processing under the temporary policy, with unique reference codes used to submit a complete application through the IRCC portal.

Those applications are “being reviewed to determine eligibility,” the IRCC said, adding that 451 people have arrived in Canada under the policy.

“The primary challenge continues to be the ability for people to exit, as movement out of Gaza remains extremely difficult or impossible due to various factors that remain outside of Canada's control.”

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Canada allowed an unlimited number of Ukrainians to escape the war and live in Canada for up to three years.

"Canada has now approved more than 960,000 applications for temporary residents from Ukraine and just under 300,000 are currently living, working and attending school here," says Cohn.

Cohn says applications that he has personally reviewed request "invasive" details such as “whether they had ever provided medical care to Hamas members” if the applicant was a doctor or nurse in Gaza.

He adds the government must be held responsible for "unconscionable delays" that are costing the lives of relatives of Palestinian Canadian families.

The federal government says it continues to put forward the names of applicants to local Israeli officials but does not ultimately decide who can leave Gaza.