- Canada has extended special immigration measures for Palestinians through December thirty, twenty twenty-six.
- The policy offers fee-exempt work and study permits for eligible individuals arriving by September twenty twenty-seven.
- Financial aid includes three thousand dollars per adult for those fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Canada extended temporary immigration measures for Palestinians on July 31, pushing the special rules to December 30, 2027. The notice keeps the program moving. It also leaves two different tracks in place, one for people already in Canada and another for eligible newcomers who arrive by a fixed date. Fees now depend on which track they use.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada tied the update to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Minister Lena Metlege Diab said:
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"Canada remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the terrible situation for its civilian population. In recognition of the ongoing conflict, IRCC is updating temporary measures for Palestinians who are in Canada and can’t return home, and for those who wish to come to Canada but have been unable to leave Gaza."
The policy reaches Palestinian passport holders, or people carrying another travel document issued by the State of Palestine, if they are in Canada as temporary residents. It also covers foreign national family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents when both the family member and the Canadian relative left Palestine on or after October 7, 2023. Both parts must line up. The family rule is narrow.
People who already got that permit under the earlier measures may apply to extend it, and standard processing fees apply. Eligible Palestinians who arrive in Canada on or before September 30, 2027, and did not apply under the earlier measures may apply from within Canada for a fee-exempt study permit, an open work permit, a temporary resident permit, or extensions of temporary resident status. Visitor and study-permit extensions still go through the department's existing channels. One path is paid. The other is not.
Canada first introduced the Gaza special measures in December 2023. The earlier package was due to end July 31, 2026, before the July 31 update pushed it to December 30, 2027. The special temporary resident visa pathway hit its 5,000-application intake cap on March 6, 2025. The cap filled early.
Thousands already hold permits
IRCC said 2,383 valid work permits and 236 valid study permits were in force as of May 31, 2026. Late-2025 figures also put about 920 people into Canada through the special extended family measures, with another 400 arriving through other IRCC programs. Those numbers came before this extension. The department had already moved a sizeable group through the pathway.
Settlement help follows a different clock
IRCC’s newcomer-services page lists Palestinians who left Gaza on or after September 1, 2023, and their families as eligible for settlement services until March 31, 2027. The measures also give people access to the Interim Federal Health Program. They include one-time transitional financial assistance of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child. The support comes from federally funded organizations. It sits beside the immigration rules.
The calendar now has two deadlines
September 30, 2027, is the arrival cutoff for people who want to apply from inside Canada under the updated rules. After that date, the in-Canada filing window closes. The policy itself remains in force until the later end date set in the July 31 notice.
