Temporary special measures in response to the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

These program delivery instructions (PDIs) provide operational guidance related to temporary special measures to support Turkish and Syrian nationals who are already in Canada on a temporary basis. These special measures waive certain processing fees to extend or change the conditions of their temporary stay and facilitate the issuance of fee-exempt open work permits for Turkish and Syrian nationals in Canada.

These measures also provide fee waivers for Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents in Türkiye and Syria who are in need of replacement travel or citizenship documents to return to Canada.

As some permanent residence applicants in Türkiye and Syria may have lost their passports during the earthquakes, and seeking replacements may be time-consuming or difficult as these countries manage the crisis, these special measures also waive the requirement to hold a passport or travel document to be approved for a permanent resident visa to travel to Canada.

All other standard eligibility and admissibility requirements must be met by clients; however, officers should take into consideration the circumstances of the clients and the availability of large diaspora communities in Canada that could provide support for them.

These special measures are in effect from March 29, 2023, until January 3, 2024.

On this page

• Background
• Eligibility
• Program-specific special measures
  • Fee waiver to extend or change temporary resident status in Canada
  • Fee waiver for issuing of work permits in Canada
  • Issuing open work permits in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)
  • Fee waiver for issuing study permits or extensions in Canada
  • Fee waivers for in-Canada biometrics
  • Fee waivers for permanent resident travel documents
  • Fee waivers for limited validity passports, temporary passports, emergency travel documents (ETDs) and Canadian citizenship certificates
  • Permanent resident visa document exemptions

Background

Powerful earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday, February 6, 2023, causing the death of tens of thousands of people and destroying homes, roads, health facilities and other critical infrastructure. Freezing weather conditions have further endangered survivors and complicated rescue efforts, as have hundreds of aftershocks and additional earthquakes that have since struck the region. Canada has announced humanitarian assistance to Türkiye and Syria as part of the broader international response to this catastrophe and is now seeking to provide facilitative immigration measures to further support affected populations.

Eligibility

Under these special measures, the following clients may be eligible:

• a national of Türkiye or Syria (a client who holds a passport issued by Türkiye or Syria) who is in Canada with valid temporary resident status and who applies
  • to extend or change the conditions of their temporary stay as one of the following:
    1. worker
    2. student
    3. visitor
    4. temporary resident permit holder
  • for an initial temporary resident permit
• Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents in Türkiye or Syria who have applied for any of the following documents:
  1. a citizenship certificate if the client does not have a certificate for passport issuance (as eligible via the online application or through the paper stream via Canadian consular services)
  2. a passport
     1. a 1-year limited validity passport (fees are waived)
     2. a full validity passport (fees apply)
     3. a temporary passport (fees are waived)
  3. an emergency travel document (ETD)
  4. a permanent resident travel document
• nationals of Türkiye or Syria who
  • are ready to be approved for a permanent resident visa to come to Canada, but are unable to obtain a prescribed passport or travel document as described in section 50(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR)
  • are outside of Canada

Officers should confirm that the applicant has not left Canada prior to granting the exemption for fees or the public policy open work permit. Officers can find instructions on confirming exit here: Entry/Exit Program.

Program-specific special measures

Fee waivers to extend or change temporary resident status in Canada

Turkish and Syrian nationals who are applying from within Canada and who have valid temporary resident status in Canada are eligible for a fee waiver when they apply to extend or change the conditions of their stay. They are also exempt from paying the biometric enrollment fee under these special measures. See below for more information about biometrics.

Syrian and Turkish nationals applying under these special measures in Canada are instructed to upload a copy of their Syrian or Turkish passport, and under “Proof of Fee Exemption,” to upload a letter stating: “I am exempt from paying fees under the TS2023 special measures.”

The following fees for eligible clients under these temporary special measures are to be waived:

• extension of visitor record ($100) – exemption code 999
• temporary resident permit ($200) – exemption code 999
• biometrics ($85) – exemption code B11

Officers may issue visitor record extensions of up to 6 months or until passport or biometrics validity, whichever comes first.

Clients who apply to extend or change the conditions of their stay before it expires maintain their status as per subsection R183(5) while their application is processed. Officers should refer to Temporary residents: Maintained status during processing (previously called implied status) for additional instructions.

If the client is applying for a new or subsequent temporary resident permit (TRP), officers should refer to Temporary resident permits for additional guidance.

Fee waivers for issuing work permits in Canada

These special measures include a fee waiver for work permit applications in Canada. To be eligible for the fee waiver, applicants must meet all of the following conditions:

• hold a passport from Türkiye or Syria
• be physically in Canada at time of application and decision
• have valid temporary resident status in Canada (including maintained status as per subsection R183(5))
• have applied for a work permit in Canada (employer-specific or open)

The following fees for eligible clients under these temporary special measures are to be waived:

• initial or renewal of work permit ($155) – exemption code 999
• open work permit ($100) – exemption code P03
• biometric fee ($85) – exemption code B11

Regular work permit application

Applications submitted in the regular work permit categories under sections R204 to R208 for nationals of Türkiye or Syria are fee-exempt but should be processed as per the instructions for the specific work permit category.

Applications submitted with a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) for nationals of Türkiye or Syria are fee-exempt but should be processed as per the instructions.

Public policy open work permit application

The public policy allows eligible temporary residents in Canada to submit an application for an open work permit while remaining in Canada. This will allow nationals of Türkiye or Syria to support themselves until they are able to return to their home country.

Foreign nationals are not eligible to apply for an open work permit under this public policy at a port of entry.

Officers should confirm that the applicant has not left Canada prior to granting the exemption for fees or the public policy open work permit. Officers can find instructions on confirming exit here: Entry/Exit Program.

Issuing open work permits in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)

The open work permit is issued under the authority of section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and is coded as follows:

• NOC: 99999
• Employer: Open
• Exemption code: R01 (A25.2 Public Policy)
• Intended Occupation: Open
• Case Type: 20
• Duration: Officers should consider issuing the work permit with a validity of up to 3 years or until passport or biometric validity, whichever is first.

Conditions: If the applicant has not completed a medical examination, the following condition must be imposed:

“Not authorized to work in

1. child care,
2. primary or secondary school teaching,
3. health services field occupations.”

Fee waivers for issuing study permits or extensions in Canada

These special measures include fee-exempt study permit applications or extensions.

The following fees for eligible clients under these temporary special measures are to be waived:

• initial or renewal of study permit ($150)

Study permit extension validity must be tied to the specified period of study (and passport validity).

All applicants must submit their study permit or extension application by following the instructions to extend their study permit. Clients who apply for an extension or to change their status before it expires will maintain their status while their application is being processed.

Officers should refer to Temporary residents: Students for additional guidance.

Fee waivers for in-Canada biometrics

All individuals required to do so must provide their biometric information in support of their application. However, under these measures, the biometrics enrolment fee is waived. Officers must manually enter the biometric fee waiver code to issue a biometric instruction letter.

• biometric fee waiver code: B11

For more information on biometrics and fees:

• Biometrics collection and screening
• Biometric fee

Fee waivers for permanent resident travel documents

Canadian permanent residents who are in Türkiye or Syria will have their fees waived for permanent resident travel documents (PRTDs) to help facilitate their travel. Applicants are responsible for identifying themselves as eligible under these special measures when they provide a completed application.

The following fees for eligible clients under these temporary special measures are to be waived:

• permanent resident travel document ($50)

Eligible Canadian permanent residents must follow standard procedures, but the PRTD application fee ($50) should not be charged to the applicant.

For online applications: Clients must include a signed letter (attestation) explaining that they were affected by the earthquake and upload it in the Supporting Documents section.

For paper applications: Clients must include a signed letter (attestation) explaining that they were affected by the earthquake.

Fee waivers for limited validity passports, temporary passports, emergency travel documents (ETDs) and Canadian citizenship certificates

These special measures also apply to Canadian citizens requesting Canadian citizenship certificates and temporary passports who are in Türkiye or Syria and wish to leave. Applicants are responsible for identifying themselves as eligible under these special measures when they provide a completed application.

Clients must include a signed letter (attestation) explaining that they were affected by the earthquake. Officers are encouraged to be as facilitative as possible.

The following fees for eligible clients under these temporary special measures are to be waived:

• first time or replacement of Canadian citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) ($75)
• temporary passport ($110), issued in conjunction with a one-year limited validity regular passport
• emergency travel document (adult ETD: $50; child ETD: $30)
• replacement fee for lost or stolen passport ($45)
• passport pick-up service fee ($20)
• consular fee ($25), only applicable to adult applications

For further information on applications for a Canadian citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship), as applicable to these special measures, the Citizenship Program Delivery (CPD) team will provide specific processing instructions in consultation with Passport Foreign Operations and Global Affairs Canada. Ultimately, regardless of which processing channel the client submits their proof of citizenship application through, clients are encouraged to select the electronic citizenship certificate to facilitate issuance and receipt.

For further information on the Passport Program’s eligibility and document requirements, officers should refer to the instructions provided in Passage.

Permanent resident visa document exemptions

These special measures also waive the requirement for Turkish and Syrian nationals who have lost their passports in the earthquakes to hold a passport or travel document to be approved for a permanent resident visa to come to Canada.

As per the ministerial instructions issued under subsection A15(4), the Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) [IMM 5565] is issued under limited and exceptional circumstances to specified client groups who do not possess, or cannot obtain, an acceptable passport or travel document. If the client is approved for a permanent resident visa and where the minister has issued a public policy under section A25.2 waiving IRPA requirements to possess an acceptable passport or travel document for visa processing and to enter Canada, refer to the page SJTD for further guidance and instructions on the issuance process.

Normally, a copy of the passport or travel document should be uploaded to the application. However, there may be instances where the passport or travel document is not included:

• If the application is processed and ready for a visa, the client is informed via the ready for visa letter of instructions regarding passport validity and is told what to do if the passport has expired or is no longer valid. However, the officer can ask the client to provide an explanation as to why they did not provide the passport or travel document (for example, it has expired or was destroyed).
• If the application is new or has not been processed, the client needs to indicate the reasons for not providing the passport or travel document. If the client is unable to provide an explanation, the client should be advised to obtain a valid passport or travel document.

All other standard eligibility and admissibility requirements must be met by clients.