Due to Israel’s escalation with Hezbollah in the North, the Canadian government has decided to extend its work visa options for Israelis until July 31, 2025.
In February of this year, Canada initially opened its doors to Israeli citizens to apply for a work visa until June 2024, and it has now been prolonged for an additional year, VisaGuide.World reports.
Israeli Citizens Seeking Work Visa Must Fulfill 2 Specific Criteria
According to the Canadian government, in order to obtain a Canadian visa, Israeli citizens must comply with two main conditions, which include:
- Israeli citizens must have a tourist visa, regardless of their arrival date.
- Israeli citizens must have family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Since the start of the war, Canada has also offered a three-year work permit with no restrictions on occupation or education to Israelis.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced special temporary immigration measures in December 2023, which are specifically designed to assist relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from Israel currently residing in Canada.
To qualify for these temporary measures, Israeli citizens must be physically present and have valid temporary resident status during the application process. These measures have been decided with several main groups in mind:
- Israeli citizens currently residing in Canada who feel unsafe returning to the region at this time.
- Family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who left Israel on or after October 7, 2023, currently residing in Canada.
In this regard, the Canadian government also announced that these measures will be extended until July 31, 2025.
Due to the crisis in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, temporary measures, including measures for Israeli nationals, Palestinian passport holders, and family members in Canada, are in place until July 31, 2025.
A Non-profit Website Created by a Displaced Couple in Canada Facilitated Migration of Many Israelis to the Country
A non-profit program created by Michal Harel and her husband, who moved to Canada in 2019, enabled the movement of a large number of Israelis to the north.
As a result, the website provides further information about the new temporary immigration option for Israelis and life in Canada.
As Harel explains, since the start of the immigration initiative and after the announcement of the extension, thousands of Israelis have moved to Canada, and hundreds of other families are expected to make this move as well.
She further noted that a blog also describes the experience of moving to Canada. However, the immigration process itself can cost up to several tens of thousands of Canadian dollars.