Vice President of the Palestinian Authority Saeb Erik met with Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who agreed to provide five thousand visas for Palestinians seeking to join their families in Canada.
Canada increases Palestinian visas by five times for those in Gaza desiring to reunite with their families in Canada, even though the western Canadian government cannot assist applicants to effectively escape the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mr. Marc Miller, the minister of immigration, said on Monday that Ottawa would increase the granted visas to 5, 000 with regard to the special program that was initiated in December.
“We continue to stay worried about the humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza and are having many queries regarding the wellbeing of their kin,”
Miller said in a message.
Miller stated that the governmental authorities are doing their best to help those Palestinians who want to evacuate the strip; however, to get out of the territory at the present moment is impossible, and it is beyond Ottawa’s authorities’ control.
Any Gazan who wants to reunite with their families in Canada has to get permission to leave the territory from Israel. This is done through biometric screening in Egypt.
It claimed the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt in its incursion in the south earlier this month.
“At present, movement out of Gaza is not possible, but this strategy might shift at any time; thus, the cap increase will ensure that Maxey numbers increase, which will ensure that we are ready to assist more people. As the situation stands now, our main aim is to keep families together.”
Miller added.
‘To date, Canada has submitted the names of candidates who have successfully passed the preliminary examination to allow local authorities to establish their exit from the Gaza Strip. As for Israel and Egypt, both countries remain strategic partners of Canada in relation to the temporary humanitarian solutions aimed at helping people reunite with their families in Canada.’
