Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
Posted on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 2:39 PM EDT
Last updated Saturday, March 18, 2023 6:18 PM EDT
TORONTO – Canada will make it easier for temporary residents of Turkey and Syria to extend their stay in the country and will prioritize visa applications from people from these two countries, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Saturday.
More than 50,000 people have died and millions have been displaced after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and several powerful aftershocks struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.
Fraser said the government will allow people from Turkey and Syria who have temporary status to visit family, study or work in Canada to apply for an extension and will waive application fees.
He said his department will also prioritize the processing of temporary visa applications for people affected by the earthquake.
“For those applying for a temporary resident visa, we will be able to treat their applications with priority processing,” Fraser said at a news conference in Mississauga, Ontario.
“(There are) special measures that we are putting in place, internal to our system, to provide guidance to our officers to make it easier to get their cases approved so they can come to Canada.”
Fraser said the government has learned from its efforts to accept people fleeing Ukraine after Russia’s invasion of their country last year. The government offered temporary protection to large numbers of people from Ukraine much faster than it could through regular refugee resettlement programs, she said.
“We are using a new strategy to help facilitate the arrival of people who are in those situations (who) normally cannot be approved to come to Canada,” he said.
“The specific mechanism we are using involves using advanced analytics within the (immigration department) system to identify people who have been affected by the earthquake and make a positive eligibility decision for a whole pool of applicants at once. ”.
As of March 10, about 600 Syrian and 6,400 Turkish residents in Canada had temporary status that will expire within the next six months, the government said.
There were about 16,000 applicants for Canadian visas from Turkey and Syria as of February 8, including about 1,700 applicants living within the earthquake-affected area, the government said.
Marwa Khobieh, executive director of the Canadian Syrian Foundation, said new government measures to help those affected by the quake are a start, but more work is still needed to support survivors.
About 6.9 million people were internally displaced within Syria before the quake and more than 6.8 million Syrians have been forced to flee their country since 2011, including 3.6 million in Turkey alone, according to United Nations.
“Not everyone is aware of the challenges facing Syria due to the pre-earthquake crisis,” Khobieh said.
“Especially (people) in northwestern Syria, they don’t have any government to represent them, how are they going to run?”
Khobieh said it is important that the government continue to work with community organizations to find solutions to the logistical challenges that could prevent many from applying to come to Canada.
Sima Acan, president of the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations, said the government’s response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has been slow and the new government measures are not enough to support Canadians who want to bring their loved ones from the earthquake region.
“Nothing was discussed about (waiving) processing fees for new applicants from the region. Nothing has been discussed about easing the paperwork (requirements) for new applicants,” he said.
“Hopefully they will improve the system, but as of now, it doesn’t seem as mature as it should be.”
Acan said new applicants must provide their biometrics so the government can process their visa applications, but many people in Turkey and Syria cannot travel to a Canadian visa office to provide their fingerprints and photos.
“We suggest having a mobile biometric center in southeastern Turkey, so that people from northern Syria can also travel to apply,” he said. “They have mobile units to do biometrics, and they may have the opportunity to move these units where it is convenient for people.”
Fraser said he expects giving out biometrics will be the “biggest logistical challenge” for those who want to apply to come to Canada to areas that were affected by the earthquake.
“People will be required to go to a location where we can offer biometric appointments,” he said. “We can be flexible and move some of the mobile biometric kits that we have available. It’s something we’re willing to consider.”
Ozgure Sekar said he wants to bring his sister and brother to join him in Canada after the earthquake destroyed their homes in southern Turkey last month.
The Toronto man traveled to earthquake-damaged areas to support family and friends, before returning to Canada from the city of Antakya in Turkey earlier this week.
He said his sister lost several members of their family, including her 12-year-old son. Her brother, who lived in the family home with his mother, wife and four children, lost his home and job.
“The whole city is destroyed. Thousands of people are dead. It is a very bad situation,” Sekar said in an interview.
“People are staying in tents. Nobody stays in a house. All the houses are destroyed. Without eleectricity. The water is not too much. People are crying in mental shock.”
Sekar said he has been waiting for the government to make it easier for Canadians with loved ones affected by the earthquake to apply to come to Canada.
“There is no chance to stay there. Cities need five to six years to be rebuilt,” he said. “The best chance is to bring (my sister and brother) here for a couple of years. Stay with me. Mentally, they will improve.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 18, 2023.