Relatives of victims of two plane crashes can obtain permanent residency in Canada
Canada has opened a new immigration program.
On May 13, Marco Mendicino, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the opening of a new immigration route in solidarity with those whose loved ones were killed in the crashes of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing and the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing.
Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 Addis Ababa — Nairobi on March 10, 2019 and crashed 6 minutes after takeoff. A Ukrainian International Airlines plane was flying PS752 Tehran — Kiev on January 8, 2020 and was mistakenly shot down by Iranian military missiles. All passengers and crew members were killed in both crashes. There were 18 Canadian citizens aboard Ethiopian Airlines and 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents aboard Ukraine Airlines.
From May 12, 2021 to May 11, 2022 there will be a new immigration program that will make it easier for the families of those who died who were Canadian citizens or residents. It currently applies only to families who are already in Canada, but in the future, the Department of Immigration will take steps to make it easier for those who are outside the country to get permanent residency.
"This new pathway to permanent residency is one of the ways we are helping the families of Canadian victims cope and we hope they can build their lives in Canada," said Marco Mendicino.
The Department of Immigration has also extended the temporary residency policy for families of those who died in the Ukraine International Airlines plane crash. People who received a temporary residency visa after the crash but did not come to Canada can still come. And those who have arrived can apply for a Temporary Resident Visa and extend their temporary residency status until the application is processed.
Those who apply for immigration as relatives of victims of the disaster will have to go through standard procedures: gather documents, take biometrics, pay a fee and the like. A list of documents and the address to send them to is available on the official website of the Department of Immigration. Applications are only accepted in paper form.
