published on 30 March 2023 @ 3:42 pm · COMMENT

IRCC’s Response to the Earthquakes in Syria and Turkey

From March 29, 2023 until September 25, 2023, IRCC is instituting special measures for certain individuals impacted by the disaster.

For Syrian and Turkish temporary residents inside of Canada who hold valid temporary status, this measure will allow applicants to extend their current status. It will also allow applicants to change their temporary status from inside of Canada, including an option to apply for an open work permit. Government processing fees for these applications are waived.

For Syrian and Turkish nationals who have applied for permanent residence from outside of Canada, IRCC will exempt the nationals, upon request, from the need to include a copy of their travel document or passport with the PR application. Applicants will then be issued a single-entry travel document to come into Canada.

For Canadian citizens in Syria or Turkey, application fees will be waived and processing will be prioritized for citizenship certificates for one-year, limited validity passports. Permanent residents can also apply for permanent resident travel documents, without the associated fees.

Finally, all temporary resident applications and existing permanent resident applications from the affected regions will be prioritized.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE