Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is waiving application fees for Lebanese temporary residents in Canada seeking visa extensions or open work or study permits as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah rages on.
The measure also applies to immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have left Lebanon since the end of September, when the Canadian government began booking tickets on commercial flights to encourage people to flee the conflict zone.
The government of Canada took similar steps for Israelis and Palestinians from the West Bank who fled their homes last year, and for Ukrainians who escaped Russia’s invasion.
“We remain deeply concerned for the well-being of people in Lebanon, and all those in the surrounding region. We are committed to doing everything we can to help Canadians coming home, while also providing temporary safety for Lebanese nationals in Canada who no longer feel safe returning,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a news release.
His department said roughly 1,200 Canadians, permanent residents and immediate family members have left Lebanon since the Canadian government started offering commercial flights. Those who accept those flights have to pay the federal government back for the cost of the ticket.
The department also said it has increased its resources to process more files from the region.
Israel has exchanged gunfire with the militant group Hezbollah since October 2023, shortly after the deadly attack by Hamas that triggered the wider conflict in the Middle East.
In October of this year, Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon, with the stated goal of destroying Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government says more than 2,700 people in Lebanon have been killed in the past year, two-thirds of them in the past five weeks.
Canada is among several countries and geopolitical blocs — including the other members of the G7, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — now calling for a ceasefire.