Temporary resident visas for certain extended family affected by the crisis in Gaza

These instructions provide operational guidance for the new TR pathway that was created as a family-based temporary safe haven for Palestinians directly affected by the crisis in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian citizen or permanent resident family members in Canada willing to support them for at least the first year of their stay.

These temporary measures facilitate the issuance of a multiple-entry temporary resident visa (TRV) to Palestinians directly affected by the crisis in the Gaza strip, who reside in Gaza when the application under this public policy is submitted and who have a family anchor in Canada, and the Palestinian’s immediate family members as defined in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations (whether residing in Gaza or not). Officers are encouraged to issue the visa for 3 years or until passport or biometric expiry.

Applications submitted under this TR pathway are subject to standard fees.

Once in Canada, Palestinians will be eligible to apply for a fee-exempt study permit or open work permit under the Facilitative measures to support Israelis and Palestinians in Canada. Applicants granted temporary residence under the public policy will have access to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) for three months, as well as settlement services.

All applicable eligibility and admissibility requirements not exempt under these measures must be met; applicants who do not meet these requirements may have their applications refused and clients may opt to apply under the regular TRV stream.

The public policy came into effect on January 9, 2024, and exemptions for temporary resident visa applicants under the public policy will expire once 1,000 applications (individuals) have been accepted into processing or one year after the public policy comes into effect, whichever comes first. Exemptions under the public policy for foreign nationals seeking to enter Canada at a port of entry expire one year after the public policy comes into effect.

On this page

• Eligibility for special measures
  • Eligible family of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
  • Family member definition
  • Anchor in Canada
• Application process – specific measures
  • Step 1: First stage of the application: Web form submission
  • Step 2: Second stage of the application: Application for temporary resident visas (TRVs)
  • Eligibility and admissibility
• Medical examination
• Holders of valid /TRVs
• Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) coverage
• Port of entry processing
• In-Canada facilitation
• Settlement Services in Canada

Eligibility for special measures

Eligible family of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Palestinians are eligible for this pathway if they are related to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident anchor in any of the following ways:

• spouse, common law partner
• child (regardless of age)
• parent or grandparent
• grandchild
• sibling (half-siblings and adopted siblings included)

They must also be in the Gaza Strip at the time the application is submitted, and must hold a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.

Family member definition

Immediate family members of eligible extended family members who apply under these measures, are also eligible. Immediate family member is defined under subsection 1(3) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) as:

1. the spouse or common-law partner of the person
2. a dependent child of the person or of the person’s spouse or common-law partner
3. a dependent child of a dependent child referred to in paragraph (b)

An immediate family member may be of any nationality and does not need to be in the Gaza Strip at the time of application.

Anchor in Canada

A Canadian anchor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older and who resides in Canada or intends to reside in Canada. See: Requirements for the Canadian citizen or Permanent resident (anchor) section below for full eligibility criteria.

Application process – specific measures

Processing for these measures will take place in two stages:

Step 1: First stage of the application – web form submission

Applicants applying for a TRV under these special measures, or their authorized representative (such as an anchor) will initiate the application by submitting a web form.

The following documents must be attached to the web form:

• the completed, signed and notarized Statutory Declaration form (IMM 5992) for each family unit (extended family member and their spouse, common-law partner, children)
  • information on the anchor: name, date of birth, contact information, status in Canada
  • information on each family members who will be applying for a TRV: name, date of birth, place of residence, relationship to the anchor and email
  • declaration must be notarized by a commissioner for oaths, justice of the peace, notary public or lawyer
• government-issued ID for the anchor
• proof of the anchor’s status in Canada
• proof of the anchor’s residence in Canada or their intent to reside in Canada

If any of the documents listed above are missing or if the Statutory Declaration is incomplete, the web form will be considered incomplete and will be rejected. Upon rejection, the Centralized Network will notify the applicant, the anchor acting on behalf of the applicant as their authorized representative in Canada, or an otherwise authorized representative, that their submission has been rejected and that they may either resubmit a web form or the family member in Gaza may opt to apply under the regular TRV stream.

The Centralized Network should screen web forms and supporting documents for completeness before sending any correspondence to the applicant, the anchor acting on behalf of the applicant as their authorized representative in Canada, or an otherwise authorized representative. The Centralized Network’s review includes confirming the anchor’s status in Canada and checking GCMS for any adverse information on the anchor.

Officers may refer to Applications under family classes: Assessing the sponsor for information on assessing intent to reside in Canada.

Assessing completeness of anchor information

To be eligible, the anchor must provide proof that they are 18 years of age or older, and either a permanent resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen.

Acceptable proof of permanent residence is a photocopy of a permanent resident card (PR card) or a confirmation of permanent residence or a record of landing [IMM 1000].

Acceptable proof of Canadian citizenship is a photocopy of one of the following:

• a Canadian citizenship certificate or card (both sides of the card)
• a Canadian birth certificate issued by the relevant provincial or territorial authority
• the bio-data page of a Canadian passport

Acceptable proof of government-issued ID is a photocopy of any identity document that is valid and verifiable.

Anchor meets the completeness requirements

• The Centralized Network will assign a unique code to each applicant (i.e. individual) and update the master tracking document containing the unique codes to keep track of intake for monitoring against the cap, and for TR eApp processing.
  • This includes indicating the date the unique code was sent to the anchor or the applicant.
• The Centralized Network will send a letter with a unique code for each applicant (one code per person) and instructions to submit a TRV application through the regular TR eApp.
  • Anchors may submit TRV applications in the TR eApp on behalf of the applicants, but must identify themselves as representatives. They can also select another unpaid, or paid rep, in accordance with the IRPA and IRPR.

Anchor does not meet the requirements

• A negative response to the web form will be sent.

Step 2: Second stage of the application: Application for temporary resident visas (TRVs)

To apply for these measures, the applicant, the anchor acting on behalf of the applicant as their authorized representative in Canada, or an otherwise authorized representative, identifying as such, may submit the remaining portion of the TRV application through the TR eApp, and will enter the unique code, provided into the “Tell us more about what you’ll do in Canada. Include dates. (required)” field.

An official must verify the unique code in the application against the list of unique codes assigned to each applicant in the master tracking document. If the code does not match, the application should be refused under this public policy and family members in Gaza may opt to reapply under the regular TRV stream. If the code is a match, the official will continue assessing the application under these special measures. The official will verify the presence of all required documents, that the applicant holds a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority, and that the biometric and application fees are paid. If all of these requirements are met, the official will associate special program code GZ23 in GCMS to track applications processed under these special measures, as well as update the master tracking document.

Consent and representative

In all cases, Situation A, B or C of the Consent to Disclose Personal Information (IMM 0707) must be completed with the application in order to be considered a complete application.

If an anchor or authorized representative is submitting the application on behalf of the applicant, the IMM5476 must be provided with the TRV application. However, the applicant’s signature in Section D of the use of representative form does not need to be provided, as long as Situation B or C of the Consent to Disclose Personal Information (IMM 0707) is completed and included with the application.

Eligibility and admissibility

If the web form submission is complete and the TRV application is accepted for processing under the second stage of the application, the Global Network will complete a GCMS check to confirm that IRCC has no adverse information on the anchor and that the eligibility requirements below are met.

Persons eligible under these measures remain subject to all eligibility and admissibility requirements, except section 39 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) (the requirement for a foreign national to not be inadmissible for financial reasons) and section R179(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) (the requirement that a client must satisfy the officer that they will leave at the end of their authorized period of stay), which are waived via the public policy.

Eligibility requirements for the Canadian citizen or permanent resident (anchor)

To be eligible, an anchor must meet the following conditions:

1. be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
2. be 18 years of age or older
3. reside or intend to reside in Canada
4. not be subject to a removal order
5. not be detained in any penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison
6. not be convicted in Canada of the offence of murder or an offence set out in Schedule I or II to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, regardless of whether it was prosecuted by indictment, if a period of five years has not elapsed since the completion of the person’s sentence
7. not be convicted outside Canada of an offence that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence referred to in condition 6, if a period of five years has not elapsed since the completion of the person's sentence imposed under a foreign law
8. not be in default of any sponsorship undertaking or any support payment obligations ordered by or registered with a court
9. not be in default in respect of the repayment of any debt referred to in subsection 145(1) of the Act payable to His Majesty in right of Canada
10. not be an undischarged bankrupt under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act
11. not be in receipt of social assistance for a reason other than disability
12. not have accepted, and understand they are not to accept, any financial compensation from the foreign national and their accompanying family members

Requirements 4-12 above will be assessed primarily using the statutory declaration.

Eligibility requirements for the family members

Eligible family members include the spouse, common-law partner, child (regardless of age), grandchild, sibling, parent or grandparent of a Canadian anchor, as well as their immediate family members (spouse, common-law partner, dependent child, and dependent child of a dependent child).

Medical examination

Clients residing in Gaza or another non-TB designated country for 6 consecutive months within the year prior to application submission do not require an immigration medical exam (IME).

If clients have lived in or travelled to one or more of these designated countries or territories for 6 consecutive months in the year before submitting their application, they are required to complete a pre-departure IME. Clients have the option of completing an upfront medical exam. If upfront medical exam results are not found at the time of processing, new medical instructions (IMM 1017) should be issued.

If they have not already done so, clients who wish to obtain an open unrestricted work permit once they have arrived in Canada are required to undergo an IME that can be completed post arrival. Officers should complete an integrated search to determine if clients have already completed a medical exam before issuing new medical instructions.

Holders of valid TRVs

Eligible applicants in Gaza with existing temporary resident visa applications will need to reapply using the web form to be considered for exemptions under these measures.

Those who already hold a valid temporary resident visa will need to reapply under the public policy if they wish to be prioritized for assisted departure. They must have a Canadian anchor provide a declaration indicating their intent to provide support for the applicant(s).

Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) coverage

Individuals granted temporary residence under this temporary resident pathway will have access to in-Canada IFHP for three months. IFHP coverage will be initiated by the Global Network (GN) and clients will receive printed IFHP certificates at the POE by CBSA officers upon arrival.

Port of entry processing

On arrival to Canada, a border services officer at the POE will examine the client for admission as a temporary resident, as per the public policy.

Once the border services officer has determined that a client meets the applicable admissibility requirements, officers are encouraged to issue a visitor record with a 3‑year validity (or until passport or biometric validity, whichever comes first). Officers are reminded to ensure that special program code GZ23 is included in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) visitor record (VR) application and to impose the following visible remark on the VR to allow these clients to gain access to settlement services: “MOME2023.”

Officers will also print IFHP certificates and provide these to the clients upon arrival.

In-Canada facilitation

Eligible Palestinians admitted under these measures are also eligible to apply for fee‑exempt study permits and open work permits through the facilitative measures to support Palestinians in Canada.

Conditions: If the applicant has not completed a medical examination, the following condition should be imposed on the work permit: “Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school, 3) health services field occupations.”

For additional guidance, officers should refer to Facilitative measures to support Israelis and Palestinians in Canada.

Settlement services in Canada

Federally-funded settlement services will be available through the Settlement Program to individuals who are granted a TRV under the Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Temporary Resident Visas for Certain Extended Family affected by the Crisis in Gaza.

Upon arrival at the POE, the CBSA officer must include the visible remark “MOME2023” on the visitor record. This remark will ensure that eligible clients will be able to demonstrate eligibility for settlement services.