Palestinian Canadians are intensifying calls for the Canadian government to take more decisive action to bring their loved ones out of the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment continues.
Omar Omar, a representative from the advocacy group Gazan Families, spoke out on Tuesday, expressing frustration over the government’s special Gaza visa program, which was launched earlier this year.
The temporary visa scheme, designed to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to bring extended family members from Gaza to Canada, has been widely criticised with Immigration lawyers and families describing the application process as confusing.
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They also pointed out that the program imposed stricter conditions on Palestinians compared to those seeking asylum, such as Ukrainian refugees, who have received more generous visa approvals.
Canada’s immigration department revealed that only 733 applications from Palestinians had been approved as of October 5, compared to the more than 960,000 visas granted to Ukrainians. The Gaza visa program is capped at just 5,000 applications, further fuelling concerns about its effectiveness.
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