The Canadian government announced new measures aimed at facilitating the stay of Turkish and Syrian citizens in Canada, a month following the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in the two countries.
“Turkish and Syrian citizens will be able to continue studying, working or visiting family by applying for a free extension of their status,” the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said in a statement.“.
They can, for example, apply for a work permit that allows a foreigner to work for a specified period.
“These measures will make it easier for Turkish and Syrian citizens to extend their temporary status in Canada,” the ministry added“.
The measures will be in effect from March 29 through September 25.
The announcement comes ten days following the United Nations urged the international community to expedite the resettlement of Syrian refugees from earthquake-affected areas in Turkey to other host countries..
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 killed more than 45,000 people in Turkey and thousands more in neighboring Syria, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings..
Nearly nine million people were affected by the earthquake, more than 1.7 million of whom were refugees.