Canada’s Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) program for Gazans was announced with the promise of offering hope to Palestinians with family in Canada. Instead, it has become a source of frustration, delay, and despair for those still trapped in Gaza and their loved ones waiting here. Immigration and refugee lawyer Katrina Sriranpong argues that, while the program’s intent was commendable, its execution has fallen short of Canada’s humanitarian obligations.
Humanitarian Aspirations, Structural Failures
The TRV initiative was designed to allow extended family members of Canadians to seek temporary refuge. Yet despite receiving thousands of applications, only a fraction of applicants have reached safety in Canada. Rigid requirements such as mandatory biometrics, restrictive application caps, and burdensome documentation rules have made participation nearly impossible for many.
These obstacles highlight the gap between humanitarian promises and practical reality. “Canada cannot claim to protect while simultaneously erecting barriers that applicants cannot reasonably overcome,” she notes. “The program’s structure undermines its very purpose.”
Identifying the Core Problems
Several systemic flaws explain the program’s shortcomings:
Biometric requirements:
The insistence that applicants travel outside Gaza to provide biometrics is one of the most significant obstacles to obtaining a visa. For many, reaching Egypt or another location is physically impossible due to the blockade imposed by Israel, bombardments, or the financial cost of escape. This requirement effectively excludes those most in need of protection.
An arbitrary cap of 5,000 applications:
Canada capped the program at 5,000 applications, regardless of actual demand. In practice, this means thousands of families are left without even the possibility of applying. By treating humanitarian entry as a fixed quota, the program fails to reflect the urgency and scale of the crisis.
Complex documentation demands:
Applicants are asked to provide detailed records that are often unavailable in conflict zones. Requirements such as long histories of employment or precise family documentation create unnecessary hurdles for people who may have lost everything in bombardments or forced displacement.
A lack of evacuation planning:
Even when applications are approved, families are left to navigate perilous crossings on their own. Reports describe families separated at evacuation points, children stranded apart from parents, and individuals forced to rely on smugglers. Without direct government facilitation of safe passage, approval on paper does not translate into protection in practice.
Disproportionately slow processing:
In comparison to the rapid and flexible response provided to Ukrainians under the Canada–Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, processing for Gazans has been painfully slow. Sriranpong explains, “This disparity raises questions of fairness and whether Palestinian applicants are subject to unequal treatment rooted in systemic bias.”
These issues combine to create an administrative wall around Palestinians seeking refuge in Canada. Instead of a humanitarian lifeline, the program has functioned more like an obstacle course, shutting out those most at risk.
A Blueprint for Reform
Canada has both a moral and legal responsibility to fix the program. Sriranpong outlines several reforms recommended by Amnesty International Canada that could bring the TRV initiative in line with humanitarian principles:
Waive or defer biometrics.
Applicants should be allowed entry without providing biometrics in advance. Canada could collect biometrics upon arrival, as has been done in other humanitarian programs. This would remove the single most significant barrier to access.
Lift or expand the application cap.
The arbitrary 5,000 application limit must be removed. Humanitarian need is not finite, and quotas should not determine Canada’s obligations. At a minimum, the government should expand the cap to reflect the ongoing crisis.
Simplify and modernize documentation requirements.
Canada should recognize alternative forms of proof, such as sworn declarations, affidavits from Canadian relatives, or digital records, to facilitate the process. This approach aligns with the realities of war zones, where official documents are often destroyed.
Facilitate evacuation and safe passage.
Canada must coordinate with international partners to ensure safe corridors for approved applicants under the program. Without evacuation support, even approved families remain trapped. This could involve government-chartered flights or coordination with humanitarian organizations to secure safe exits.
Impose clear timelines for decisions.
Families cannot endure months or years of uncertainty. Canada should legislate or adopt policies requiring decisions to be made within a fixed time frame, such as 30 or 60 days, to ensure timely protection.
Ensure transparency and accountability.
The government should publish regular updates on applications received, approvals granted, rejections, and actual arrivals. This would help ensure accountability and restore public confidence that the program is delivering on its promises.
Provide robust integration support
Beyond admission, families must be supported in rebuilding their lives. Health care access, trauma counseling, housing support, and language training are essential. Without these measures, families may survive the journey but struggle to recover from the trauma they endured.
Adopt an equity lens in humanitarian programming.
Sriranpong stresses the need to examine why Palestinians face far greater barriers than Ukrainians or other groups. Building equity into Canada’s humanitarian response is crucial to ensuring that racialized communities are not systemically excluded.
Katrina Sriranpong believes that Canada must act quickly to transform a broken system into one that reflects the values it claims to uphold. The stakes are measured not in paperwork but in lives, and every delay is a reminder of the urgent need for reform.
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