Ottawa: The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced to introduce three new measures for those who have been impacted by wildfires.
On Monday, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said these measures will help those who have been impacted by the wildfires and need to replace vital documents or to extend or restore their status in Canada.
He said the IRCC will issue free replacement documents for Canadians, permanent residents and temporary residents directly affected by the wildfires.
“The documents include permanent resident cards, Canadian citizenship certificates, Canadian passports and other travel documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed or inaccessible due to the wildfires,” he announced while speaking to the reporters in Ottawa.
The immigration minister also made an announcement for international students, temporary foreign workers and other visitors who have been directly affected by the wildfires and whose status will expire by September 30.
He said people who fall in these categories will also be eligible to apply, restore or extend their status in Canada free of charge.
“This means that temporary workers who are unable to work because their workplace is closed due to the fires they’ll be able to extend their status and stay until their workplace reopens. In addition, international students can extend their study permits if their classes are delayed or cancelled and finish their studies without penalty,” the IRCC said in a press release.
According to the federal government, these special measures will be in effect until September 30, 2023.