New Pathway to Permanent Residence for Families of These Two Air Disasters
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented a pathway to permanent residence for families –outside of Canada– of the victims of:
- the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET302), and
- the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752)
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the families of these victims. Consequently, eligible immediate and extended family members outside of Canada can now apply to come here and support members of their family who lost their spouse, common-law partner or parent.
This follows IRCC’s initial public policy that offered a pathway to permanent residence for families who were temporarily in Canada. This public policy was available from May 12, 2021, until May 11, 2022. However, the new policy will remain in effect until August 2, 2023.
Background
On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 (ET302), crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. All 157 passengers and crew perished in the crash. This flight included 18 Canadian citizens and four permanent residents.
Also, on January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 (PS752) was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran. All 176 passengers and crew died. The flight included 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents of Canada.
Measures to take:
To ensure that extended family members have close ties to the surviving family member, the family member who is in Canada will need to provide a statutory declaration. Moreover, the declaration must identify the extended family member who is applying for permanent residence.
There is a limit of 2 extended family members per family unit, says IRCC.
In addition, the victim of flight ET302 or PS752 must have been a:
- Canadian citizen,
- permanent resident of Canada, or
- foreign national who had been approved for permanent residence.
Applicants should also check to see if they’re eligible and then carefully read all the instructions on how to apply before submitting an application. Please be aware that all standard fees, biometric requirements and admissibility requirements apply.
The public policy for families outside Canada will remain in effect for 1 year, from August 3, 2022, until August 2, 2023.
About the process
If you meet the eligibility criteria of the public policy, you can apply for a permanent resident visa. Once IRCC receives your application, they’ll check that it’s complete and that you meet the eligibility criteria.
If they confirm you’re eligible, they’ll
- invite you and your family members to have
- medical exams
- criminal and security checks
- tell you the decision when they’ve processed your application
Let us help!
If you have general immigration questions, you may fill out the following form. Of course, if you have specific questions, please book an appointment. Alternatively, you can fill out our assessment form or subscribe to our newsletter.
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