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Ottawa to accept applications from refugees seeking to leave Gaza

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jan, 2024 12:06 PM

The National Council of Canadian Muslims is calling on the federal government to remove a cap on the number of Palestinians who can seek refuge with their Canadian extended family members from the violence in the Gaza Strip.

The special extended family program for people in Gaza is set to launch next week, after Palestinian Canadians pleaded for months to get help from the government to rescue their loved ones as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

The program would offer visas to a maximum of 1,000 Palestinians, which would allow them to take refuge in Canada for three years if their families are willing to financially support them during that time.

An immigration lawyer in Toronto says a cap on the number of Palestinians who can seek refuge with their Canadian extended family members from the current Israel-Hamas war is "heinous."

Yameena Ansari says the limit of one-thousand three-year visas for Palestinians to stay in Canada if financially supported by their families is a huge underestimate of the number of people who need help.

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