Zero Palestinians from Gaza have arrived in Canada under its temporary visa program, including relatives Mahmoud Al-Astal is trying to bring to Calgary.
At the beginning of the year, the Canadian government announced that it would allow 1,000 Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombs and bullets in Gaza to stay with family in Canada for up to three years.
Since then, 986 people from Gaza have completed the application process, out of which a dozen have been approved. Yet, as of writing, zero Palestinians fleeing Gaza have arrived in Canada.
Contrast this with the Ukrainian emergency visa program, which had no limit on the number of applications, resulting in the approval of almost a million Ukrainians, of which just 250,000 arrived.
But the difference isn’t only quantitative. The visa application process for Palestinians is “strikingly different than what is ordinarily required for a visitor visa application” and is even more stringent than a permanent residency application, according to Toronto-based immigration lawyer Pantea Jafari.
Applicants are expected to list every job they’ve had since they were 16, with full details about their roles, responsibilities and any disciplinary issues; every address they’ve lived at; links to all their social media accounts; and, most appallingly for people fleeing what the International Court of Justice says might amount to genocide, any injuries or scars that have required medical attention and how they got them.
The sponsoring relative has to attest that they’re not on welfare, will be able to sponsor them privately and pay all the required application fees, which were waived for Ukrainians.
Once the applicant has provided all these details, they receive a code to apply for a visa. But at the same time, their applications are sent to Israeli authorities — the same people entering the sixth month of bombing and starving them — for a background check. (more...)
The Labyrinthine Nightmare of Canada's Palestinian Family Reunification Program
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