Immigration Minister Assures Flexibility in Palestinian Visa Program Despite 1,000-Person Cap
Immigration Minister Marc Miller stated that the 1,000-person cap on temporary resident visas for Palestinians needing to leave the Gaza Strip is not fixed.
During an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play, Mr. Miller emphasized that the federal government’s 1,000-person maximum for the temporary resident program is not definitive.
He said, “It is conventional for a number of these programs to have an internal number that is established. This was one that we thought at the outset—in the context of something being done in a relatively short period of time understanding that it’s a war zone in Gaza—was something to manage flow, understand what the numbers are, and then you know remain flexible on the fly if we do see numbers that exceed that.”
The federal government announced its new “temporary resident pathway” for extended family members in Gaza of Canadian citizens and permanent residents on January 9th.
The program was released after Palestinian Canadians petitioned the government for help in saving their loved ones as the Israel-Hamas war continued.
Program details indicated that the program would stop taking applications either after it received 1,000 requests, or after a year elapsed.
Related Stories
Now that the door is open, Miller said Canada would be “flexible” in the number of people allowed entry, but emphasized the program is not for “generalized resettlement.”
“It is a specific targeted program for families of loved ones that are Canadians, to keep people safe and alive,” Mr. Miller said in the interview.
The immigration minister has also said Ottawa cannot guarantee safe passage out of the Palestinian territory, adding that the Canadian government has no control over who can cross the closely controlled border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Calls to Remove Cap
The immigration minister’s comments come on the heels of calls to remove the 1,000-person cap by several advocacy groups.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it has already been in contact with more than 1,000 people who want to help family members in Gaza.
“There should not be a cap,” said Uthman Quick, the council’s director of communications.
Toronto immigration lawyer Yameena Ansari said the 1,000-person limit hugely underestimates the number of people who need help.
Ms. Ansari advocated for Ottawa’s help as part of an ad hoc group of immigration lawyers called the Gaza Family Reunification Project.
“Just between the lawyers in this group, we know more than 1,000 applicants,” Ms. Ansari said in an interview last week. She called the limit “heinous.”
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) also condemned the 1,000-person maximum.
…
