Palestinian families are suing Canada over visa delays they say leave people at risk of life-threatening harm in Gaza.
Montreal, Canada— Palestinian families are suing the Canadian government over delays in the issuance of visas meant to allow them to escape Israel’s deadly war in Gaza and receive temporary protection in Canada.
Filed in the Federal Court of Canada this month on behalf of 53 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with family members in Canada, the lawsuit alleges that inefficiencies have plagued the country’s special visa program.
Hana Marku, a Toronto lawyer representing the families, said all of her clients submitted a form expressing interest in the visas within the first month of the scheme’s launch in January 2024.
However, none have received the unique reference codes needed to move to the next stage of the process, which is the submission of their relatives’ Canadian visa applications.
The prolonged delay has left their Gaza-based relatives open to “life-threatening and inhumane conditions” in the Palestinian territory, where Israel has bombarded cities, neighborhoods, and refugee camps for 15 months, the lawsuit states.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to how the codes are being rolled out, and the fact that there’s no transparency here is—it’s emotional torture, frankly,” Marku said.
“It’s emotional torture for the Canadian family members who put in a financial undertaking in the belief that this would create the chance of getting their loved ones out of Gaza.”
