Notice - Immigration and consular assistance for those affected by the tragedy in Beirut
These special assistance measures expired on January 31, 2021.
Please consider existing programs for other ways to come to Canada.
Ottawa, September 3, 2020—As part of the government’s response to the tragedy in Beirut, Canada is making it easier and faster for Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents to return home. The Government of Canada is prioritizing travel documents for Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents in Lebanon. We’ll also waive some fees, making your return to Canada easier.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also prioritizing visitor visa applications for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents who’ve been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut so they can join their loved ones in Canada.
Immediate family members include
- spouses
- common-law partners
- dependent children
- parents or step-parents
We’ll also be providing support to Lebanese citizens so they can stay longer in Canada temporarily if they’re not able to return home because of the explosion. They can apply to extend or renew their stay as a temporary resident in Canada, and IRCC will waive the application fees.
Who is eligible for assistance
You can apply to receive assistance if you’re a
- Canadian citizen in Lebanon and urgently need a travel document to return to Canada, such as a
- Canadian passport
- temporary passport, or
- emergency travel document
- Canadian citizen in Lebanon and need your citizenship certificate (proof) to apply for a travel document to urgently return to Canada
- Canadian permanent resident in Lebanon and urgently need a permanent resident travel document to travel to Canada
- Lebanese citizen personally affected by the explosion in Beirut, and are an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident, and urgently need a visitor visa to join your loved ones in Canada
- Lebanese citizen and your temporary resident status in Canada will soon or recently expired and you are unable to return home due to the explosion
If you’re eligible for assistance, read the instructions below to find out what you need to do to apply based on your situation.
If you have questions after reading the instructions related to your situation, email IRCC at IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca. We’ll respond within 5 business days.
Please note that due to local circumstances and restrictions related to COVID-19, as well as other operational challenges, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon may need more time to respond to your inquiry.
How to qualify
To qualify for assistance, you need to
- apply between September 3, 2020, and January 31, 2021
- follow the instructions below for the type of application you need
- have been living in an affected area at the time of the explosion, if you’re applying as an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident
- include proof that you have been personally affected by the explosion at the Port of Beirut both when you
- submit your application, and
- email us to tell us you’ve applied
Each request will be considered case by case.
Steps to take if one of these scenarios applies to you
If you’re a Canadian citizen in Beirut
Follow Canada’s safety and security advice and sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to get important updates on the situation.
If you’re a Canadian citizen in Lebanon and need consular assistance – need a Canadian passport, temporary passport or emergency travel document
Contact the Embassy of Canada in Beirut at 961 4 726 700 or berut-cs@international.gc.ca
Or
Contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at +1-613-996-8885 or sos@international.gc.ca.
Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre can only answer questions related to consular, passport and citizenship needs of Canadian citizens. It can’t answer any questions related to immigration or visa matters.
If you’re in Lebanon and need to replace your citizenship certificate (proof) in order to get a Canadian passport
Contact the Embassy of Canada in Beirut at 961 4 726 700 or berut-cs@international.gc.ca
Or
Contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at +1-613-996-8885 or sos@international.gc.ca.
Or
Follow these steps
- Apply for proof of citizenship urgently
- Pay the fee ($75) for us to process your application.
- After you apply, email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to tell us you’ve applied to replace your Citizenship certificate and qualify to have your application prioritized.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and if you have it available, your unique client identifier (UCI).
- We’ll process your application within 2 business days of receiving it.
- We’ll reimburse the application fee ($75) if you qualify to have your application prioritized for urgent travel back to Canada.
If you plan on returning to Canada, consult Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice.
If you’re a Canadian permanent resident in Lebanon and need a permanent resident travel document
Follow these steps
- Apply to get a permanent resident travel document (PRTD).
- After you apply, send us an email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you have applied for a PRTD and qualify to have your application prioritized.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and, if you have it available, your unique client identifier.
- You don’t need to pay the $50 application fee to get a PRTD.
If you plan on returning to Canada, consult Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice.
If you’re a Lebanese citizen, applying for a visitor visa and qualify to have your visitor visa application prioritized
Applications that are prioritized
To be prioritized, you must be an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident, have been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut and urgently need a visitor visa to travel to Canada to reunite with your loved ones.
Permanent residence applications from Lebanese citizens are being processed in the same way as all other permanent residence applications.
Generally, foreign nationals who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents can apply to come to Canada as visitors if they
- don’t show signs of COVID-19
- have a quarantine plan and comply with the mandatory quarantine rules
- stay for at least 15 days
- are admissible, and
- travel with a valid travel document and passport
If you plan on coming to Canada, consult Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice.
Follow these steps
- Make sure you meet the definition of an immediate family member.
- Follow the steps to apply for a visitor visa as an immediate family member.
- Your visa application will be screened normally to make sure you’re eligible and admissible to enter the country.
- When you apply for your visa, make sure you send proof of both of the following:
- You’re an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident.
- You’ve been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut.
- After you apply:
- Email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you’ve applied.
- When you email us include your
- full name
- date of birth
- unique client identifier if you have it available
and
Send the same proof as in step 3 showing you’re an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and you’ve been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut
- If you haven’t given your biometrics (fingerprints and digital photo) for a previous temporary resident application, pay the biometrics fee ($85) when you submit your application.
- If you’ve already given your biometrics, check our website to confirm they’re still valid.
- Book an appointment at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Beirut as soon as you receive your biometrics instruction letter from us. You can access the Beirut VAC website via Canada.ca/biometrics.
Once we receive your email, we’ll review your application to determine if it can be processed on a priority basis. You don’t have to contact us. We’ll be in touch after we review your application. The application fee ($100) won’t be reimbursed.
If you’re a Lebanese citizen, have already applied for a visitor visa, and qualify to have your visitor visa application prioritized
Applications that are prioritized
To be prioritized, you must be an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident, have been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut and urgently need to travel to Canada to reunite with your loved ones.
Permanent residence applications from Lebanese citizens are being processed in the same way as all other permanent residence applications.
Generally, foreign nationals who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents can apply to come to Canada as visitors if they
- don’t show signs of COVID-19
- have a quarantine plan and comply with the mandatory quarantine rules
- stay for at least 15 days
- are admissible, and
- travel with a valid travel document and passport.
If you plan on coming to Canada, consult Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice.
Follow these steps
- Email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you’ve already applied for a visitor visa and you qualify priority processing.
- When you email us, make sure you include your
- full name
- date of birth
- your unique client identifier, if you have it available
and
Send proof of both of the following:
- You’re an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident.
- You’ve been personally affected by the explosion in Beirut.
Once we receive your email, we’ll review your application to determine if it can be processed on a priority basis. You don’t have to contact us. We’ll be in touch after we review your application. The application fee ($100) won’t be reimbursed.
If you’re a Lebanese citizen in Canada and you need to extend your stay as a visitor or renew your work or study permit
Visitors
Follow these steps
- Apply for a visitor record to extend your stay in Canada.
- You don’t need to pay the $100 fee and you don’t need to give your biometrics.
- After you apply, email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you can’t return home because of the explosion.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and, if you have it available, your unique client identifier.
Workers
Follow these steps
- Apply to renew your work permit
- You don’t need to pay the $155 fee and you don’t need to give your biometrics.
- After you apply, email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you can’t return home because of the explosion.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and, if you have it available, your unique client identifier.
Students
Follow these steps
- Apply to renew your study permit
- You don’t need to pay the $150 fee and you don’t need to give your biometrics.
- After you apply, email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you can’t return home because of the explosion.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and, if you have it available, your unique client identifier.
If you’re a Lebanese citizen in Canada, and you need to restore your status as a visitor, worker or student
If your status as a visitor, worker or student has expired, you may be able to restore your status.
Follow these steps
- Apply to restore your status in Canada
- You’ll need to pay the processing fee to restore your status. This fee won’t be reimbursed.
- After you apply, email IRCC.SituationLebanon-SituationLiban.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to let us know you can’t return home because of to the explosion.
- Please include your full name, date of birth and, if you have it available, your unique client identifier.
If you qualify, these fees will be waived:
- replacement of Certificate of Citizenship (proof) ($75)
- regular passport ($190) valid for 1 year only, proof of travel to Canada required
- temporary passport ($110), proof of travel to Canada required
- adult emergency travel document ($75), proof of travel to Canada required
- child emergency travel document ($30), proof of travel to Canada required
- lost/stolen passport replacement fee ($45)
- permanent resident travel document ($50)
- renewal of work permit ($155)
- renewal of study permit ($150)
- extension of temporary resident status ($100)
Note: The visitor visa application fee ($100) isn’t being waived.
Page details
- Date modified: