Canada announces new immigration support for Turkish and Syrian Nationals

A number of initiatives to assist Turkish and Syrian temporary residents in Canada have just been revealed by the minister of immigration 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 following policies are in place from March 29 until September 25, 2023:

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). For foreigners seeking permanent residency in Canada, the IRCC will waive the requirements for passports and other travel documents. 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.

In the upcoming weeks, more details about these actions will be presented on the IRCC website. The humanitarian response of Canada to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Following the earthquakes on February 6 in Turkey and Syria, statistics from both countries show that more than 50,000 people died and that many more have lost their lives. Canada has allotted $50 million in humanitarian aid to the two nations as of February 24.

Communities of Syrians and Turks in Canada

In November 2015, Canada launched a large program to help Syrian refugees. By February 2016, Canada has taken in more than 25,000 Syrian refugees in less than 100 days. According to Census 2021 data, 60,795 Syrian-born refugees were admitted to Canada between 2016 and 2021, making up over a quarter (27.8%) of all new refugees to the country. 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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