2024 wildfires in Canada: Temporary immigration, passport and citizenship measures

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The special measures to support those affected by the wildfires in Canada ended on November 30, 2024.

If your status as a visitor, student or worker has expired, you have the standard 90 calendar days from the expiration date to apply to restore it.

Applications submitted on or before November 30, 2024

We’ll continue to process applications free of charge to

• replace a citizenship certificate
• replace a passport
• replace a valid non-Canadian travel document (certificate of identity or refugee travel document)
• replace a permanent resident (PR) card
• replace an immigration document
• extend or restore your current temporary resident status

Updating your contact information

Send us a web form(opens in a new tab) .

• Complete all required fields.

Request a refund for an application you already submitted

You may be eligible for a refund if you applied to

• replace a lost, damaged or destroyed document
• extend or restore your temporary resident status
• transition from an employer-specific work permit to an open work permit

You applied before July 19, 2024

If you are directly affected by the wildfires, you may be eligible for a refund depending on

• what you applied for
• your location in an affected area
• when you applied

Eligible refunds

You can ask for a refund if you applied to replace a

• passport or travel document
• citizenship certificate
• PR card

You’re not eligible for a refund if you applied before July 19, 2024, to

• replace a temporary resident document (visa, study permit or work permit),
• restore your temporary resident status
• extend your temporary resident status
• transition from an employer-specific work permit to an open work permit

Eligibility period

To be eligible for a refund, you must have applied after the first reported sighting of a wildfire in your affected area, as reported on the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) website.

Request a refund

If you’re eligible, find out how to ask for a refund (opens in a new tab)

You applied on or after July 19, 2024

If you’re directly affected by the wildfires, you don’t need to pay the processing fees to

• replace a lost, damaged or destroyed document
• extend or restore your temporary resident status
• transition from an employer-specific work permit to an open work permit

If you paid any of these fees, find out how to ask for a refund (opens in a new tab) .

Applications submitted on or after December 1, 2024

If you submit an application on or after December 1, 2024, you can no longer benefit from the special measures.

• You will need to pay the processing fees when you submit your application.
• If no fees are included with your application, it will be returned to you.