The Liberal government will provide tax-free grants of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child to Gazan refugees arriving in Canada, the Department of Immigration announced Thursday.
The financial assistance mirrors earlier grants offered to Ukrainian refugees, part of a $753.4 million aid package as of last August.
“Settlement support and this financial assistance are critical to address the immediate challenges that come with moving to a new country under such circumstances,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
“We’ll continue advocating for the safety of everyone.”
Canada has capped the number of Gazan refugees eligible for three-year residency permits at 5,000, a limit that will remain, Miller confirmed. Thus far, 4,782 applications have been approved, and 616 Gazans have arrived, typically as relatives of Canadian residents.
“While it is extremely difficult for people to exit Gaza at this time, Canada is making sure necessary support is in place for Gazans as they start to arrive in our country,” the department said.
In addition to the grants, arriving refugees are entitled to three months of free health care, language training, work and study permits, and school registration for children.
The government has not disclosed the total cost of the refugee program.
“Canada is the only country in the world with a dedicated pathway for extended family members of its citizens or permanent residents in Gaza,” the department stated in a May 27 briefing note.
“We are being as flexible as possible to help as many extended family members of Canadians affected by the conflict.”
However, the process faces logistical challenges.
“Canada continues to put forward names of people who passed preliminary eligibility and admissibility reviews to local authorities for approval but does not ultimately decide who can exit Gaza,” said the note Government Of Canada’s Role In Israel, Gaza And West Bank Situation.
The conflict in Gaza has drawn sharp criticism from Miller, who described the region as “the largest hostage taking in the world” during remarks last February.
“We are all failing Gazans at this point,” Miller said at the time. “People in and around Rafah are very exposed to death, to starvation, to bombardment. We are trying to save lives.”
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