Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended a temporary public policy allowing Gaza nationals with an approved Canadian temporary resident visa (TRV) issued under the previous policy to enter Canada as visitors with certain exemptions. The extension takes effect on April 24, 2026 and runs through March 31, 2028, with the caveat that the policy can be revoked at any time during that period.
Eligible individuals are those who currently hold a TRV issued under the previous Gaza policy and who seek to enter Canada as visitors.
Under the extension, eligible entrants are exempt from two standard entry requirements at the point of entry: (1) proving they will depart Canada at the end of their authorized stay, and (2) demonstrating they meet the financial inadmissibility standard for a visitor visa. Beyond these exemptions, all other visitor eligibility and admissibility criteria still apply.
Background: The Gaza measures were first introduced by IRCC in December 2023 and updated in April 2024 to provide a temporary safety pathway for Palestinian nationals from Gaza with close family members in Canada. The current extension applies only to Part 3 of the policy; Parts 1 and 2, which facilitated TRV applications, have expired. The TRV application pathway is no longer open to new applicants, and a cap of 5,000 applications was set when the updated policy was signed.
Implications: The extension underscores Canada’s humanitarian approach to Gaza-related cases while maintaining administrative controls. Applicants should be aware that the policy remains temporary and subject to revocation, and that other standard visitor visa criteria still apply beyond the entry exemptions.