Fix the TRV Program and Reunite Gazans Now!

July 23, 2025

In January 2024, three months after the start of Israel’s genocide against over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the launch of a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV) Program for Gazans with Canadian family ties: “Crisis in Gaza: Special measures for extended family”. This program gave hope to Canadians desperate to protect relatives facing Israel’s deadly bombardment and repeated displacement within the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza TRV program was initially capped at 1,000 applications but was later expanded to allow for up to 5,000 individuals. The program closed in March 2025 after receiving 5,000 applications.

Applicants soon found themselves grappling with extraordinary administrative and security clearance barriers, all complicated by the rapid destruction of the infrastructure with Gaza. Required documentation, some of which was logistically impossible to obtain, included social media handles, full employment history since age 16, proof of family relationships under Canadian legal standards, and identification of the origin of each and every scar and injury, despite the traumatic circumstances of ongoing attacks and displacement, with new injuries or circumstances potentially arising that, if not reported in the original application, could invalidate the application.

TRV program a heartbreaking failure

Over a year and a half after the special measurers were launched, only a few dozen Gazans have arrived in Canada under the TRV program. Some 800 Gazans have arrived through other pathways. Canadian officials often point to the lack of a Canadian diplomatic presence in Gaza and Israel’s control of the borders as the primary reason for the program’s failures to date. Yet other countries, including several of Canada’s allies, have been far more successful in evacuations and temporary resettlement.

This is in stark contrast to the Canadian government’s response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which saw over 900,000 applications approved under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, with nearly 300,000 Ukrainians arriving in Canada. Canada moved tens of thousands of Ukrainians to safety in weeks, with charter flights and open work permits. Palestinians have been treated with suspicion and delays, through a program seemingly designed to fail.

Families remain painfully separated, with many loved ones trapped in Gaza under relentless bombardment or stranded in Egypt, often in overcrowded or unsafe conditions, while awaiting word on their TRV status.

“These Kids Need Their Mom” — The Story of Doaa, Qasem, and Their Children

Fourteen-year-old Zahed, twelve-year-old Abdalrahman, and seven-year-old Joury survived 18 months of genocide in Gaza, only to be separated from their mother, Doaa, at the very moment they were finally offered a path to safety in Canada.

Their father, Qasem, an engineer, described the moment they received evacuation instructions from the Canadian embassy as a rare flicker of hope amid relentless trauma. That hope was quickly shattered when they discovered that Doaa’s name was missing from the list of approved travelers. Despite completing her background verification and submitting marriage and travel documents, Doaa was excluded on a technicality related to biometric data – something the Canadian government explicitly acknowledged would be impossible to complete from within Gaza.

With bombs still falling, Qasem was forced to make an impossible choice: leave Doaa behind so their children could survive, or risk the entire family’s safety by staying. “We made one of the most difficult decisions of our lives,” Qasem said. “To leave her alone to face her fate and protect our children by traveling with me for their safety.” The separation has devastated their children, who now live in Canada physically, but are emotionally paralyzed – unable to begin healing or imagine a future while consumed with fear for their mother’s life.

This case illustrates the irreparable harm caused by Canada’s shifting and inconsistent application process, which has forcibly torn families apart and violated the very principles of humanitarian response.

“I Begged Them to Let Him Come” – Story of a Mother, a Disabled Son and a Broken System

In one of the most heartbreaking examples shared by the Gazan Canadian Families League, a mother in Canada spent months trying to reunite with her disabled son, who was trapped in Gaza amid constant bombardment. She submitted all required documents and applied under the TRV program — yet her son was rejected without a clear explanation.

Despite repeated efforts to clarify his eligibility and provide updated medical records showing his urgent care needs, the family was met with silence and delays from IRCC. The mother described pleading with Canadian officials, telling them: “He cannot walk. He cannot survive this alone. Please — just let him come.” She received no response.

Eventually, as bombardment intensified, she lost contact with her son entirely. She still does not know whether he is alive. “I begged them. I did everything right. And they just ignored me,” she said at a May 22 press conference held by the League. “It feels like Canada signed his death sentence.”

This case reflects how bureaucratic opacity and inaction have transformed an emergency relief program into a source of additional trauma. The Canadian government’s failure to accommodate vulnerable individuals, especially those with disabilities, not only violates basic humanitarian principles, it puts lives at risk.

Take Action: call on officials to make the TRV program fulfill the promise

We are calling on the Canadian government to take the following steps immediately:

Establish a Permanent Humanitarian Pathway: Create a long-term immigration stream for Palestinian families affected by conflict and displacement, including a pathway to permanent residency.
Expedite Immediate Processing and Prioritize Existing Applicants: Process all remaining applications within 14 days using the same security screening requirements as the 2022 Ukrainian visa program.
Take Diplomatic Action for Safe Passage: Negotiate with Israel, Egypt, and Jordan to allow for the immediate evacuation of all remaining applicants in Gaza. Other countries have been able to do this. Why not Canada?
Simplify and Humanize Application Requirements: With civilians facing ongoing, relentless bombardment for almost two years, it is integral that the Government of Canada adhere to its Gender-Based Analysis Plus commitments and reform to a human security approach in its program implementation.
Reform and Relaunch the Gaza TRV: Fundamentally reform the Gaza TRV Program to centre transparency, accessibility, and equity. Relaunch this improved program with harmonized, comprehensive settlement support for those arriving to ensure that they can work, go to school, and access healthcare.