Does Canada have a temporary immigration program to help me?
Sometimes, the Government of Canada creates temporary immigration programs to help people in a specific country or region that's in crisis.
For example, the government has made programs for people place they are from countries that are:
- at war,
- dealing with violence and unrest, or
- dealing with a natural disaster like an earthquake or famine.
Canada also has a temporary program that lets refugees from any country resettle in Canada if they have the education, work experience, and language skills to work in certain jobs.
Every program has different rules about who can apply.
And each program offers something different. For example, some let people work, study, or visit Canada without paying applications fees. Others let people apply to live here permanently.
All these immigration programs:
- are temporary, and
- usually have limits on how many applicants they accept.
The government can change, extend, or cancel a program at any time. Check the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website for updates before you apply.
Get legal help
It's important to get legal help from an immigration lawyer if you want to apply for one of these programs. Immigration law is complicated. There are many different rules and time limits.
If you do not qualify for a temporary program, you may have other options. An immigration lawyer can explain all the options you have to come to Canada or stay in Canada.
Current programs
Canada has temporary immigration programs for:
Refugees or displaced people from all countries
The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot program is for any refugee outside Canada who has the education, work experience, and language skills to work in certain jobs in Canada.
They can get travel visas for themselves and their family members and become permanent residents.
There are other benefits too. For example, people applying may not have to pay some fees and they may get a loan to help with travel costs.
There are different programs people can apply to under the EMPP. And each program has its own conditions.
For example, there is a program for people who have a job offer in Canada and a program for people without one.
For more information:
- watch this webinar by the Muslim Legal Support Centre
- visit the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website.
The deadline to apply is December 31, 2025.
Some programs limit the number of applications they process each year.
Haiti
Haitian nationals and passport holders in Canada with valid temporary status can apply without paying the fee for:
- a study or open work permit, or extension
- a visitor record
- a new temporary resident permit if they already have one
People can also apply if they're in Canada with a valid temporary status and they:
- left Haiti on or after March 1, 2024,
- arrived in Canada on or before April 26, 2024, and
- are a of a Canadian citizen or who also left Haiti during those dates.
But they must be a family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who also left Haiti.
Some Haitians applied for Canadian permanent residence and were approved but cannot give Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) their passport or travel document due to the crisis in Haiti. For Haitians in that situation, IRCC may give them a travel document to come to Canada.
These policies are in place until November 19, 2025.
IRCC has guidelines on how they process applications under the special measures for people from Haiti.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong residents who graduated from certain Canadian study programs or have specific Canadian work experience can get permanent residence for themselves and their family members.
They must apply for permanent residence by August 31, 2026.
And they may be able to get an open work permit while waiting for the decision on their permanent residence application. They can apply for work permits until May 2029.
To apply under these programs, they need a valid passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or by the United Kingdom to a British National Overseas.
Iran
Iranians in Canada with valid temporary status who arrived in Canada on or before February 28, 2025 can get the following without paying the fee:
- an open work permit or extension
- an initial study permit
Apply by February 28, 2026.
Palestine
Canada had a program that granted temporary resident visas (TRVs) to people in Gaza who are the extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stopped accepting new applications to the program on March 6, 2025.
Gazans who got a TRV under the program have until April 23, 2026 to enter Canada.
Gazans who come to Canada through this program can apply for a work or study permit in Canada. Their TRV is usually valid for up to 3 years.
They may be eligible for 90 days of healthcare coverage through the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP).
Watch this CLEO webinar to learn more about the special immigration measures for Gazans.
Financial help
After arriving in Canada, Gazans can apply for a one-time payment of $3,000 for each adult and $1,500 for each child. This amount is not taxed.
To be eligible they must be in Canada with valid status and:
- hold a passport or other travel document from the Palestinian Authority and
- have left Gaza on or after September 1, 2023.
Immediate family members of this person are also eligible if they arrive in Canada by March 31, 2025.
People are also eligible for this financial help if they were part of the Government of Canada assisted departures out of Gaza or the West Bank between November 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024.
Palestinians in Canada
Until July 31, 2026, there's also a policy for the following people in Canada:
- Palestinian passport holders with valid temporary status
- people who came through the special program for extended family in Gaza
- people who left Israel or Palestine on or after October 7, 2023, and are the family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who also left on or after that date
They can apply without paying the fee for:
- a study or open work permit or extension
- a visitor record
- a new temporary resident permit if they already have one
There's temporary health coverage for those who came through assisted departures.
Sudan
Starting February 25, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is accepting 1,700 applications for permanent residence from people from Sudan.
They can apply if they:
- lived in Sudan on April 15, 2023
- are the child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling of an extended family member in Canada
- have an extended family member in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and who is willing to support their application
The extended family member must support the applicant and any family members that come with them for one year. They must also show enough income or funds to meet this financial requirement.
The applicant's extended family member can now live anywhere in Canada including Quebec. But applicants cannot live in Quebec after they arrive in Canada. They can live anywhere else in Canada.
Sponsoring refugees from Sudan
Canada has a program allowing groups of 5 people and community groups to privately sponsor refugees outside Canada to become permanent residents.
Usually, the refugee needs a Refugee Status Determination. This is a document from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or a foreign country that says the person is a refugee.
Starting April 30, 2025, groups of 5 people and community groups can sponsor Sudanese nationals as refugees without a Refugee Status Determination document.
This ends when IRCC accepts 160 applications for processing, or on December 31, 2025. Whichever comes first.
Contact the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP) for free legal help if you're interested in sponsoring a refugee.
Sudanese nationals in Canada with valid temporary resident status and a valid Sudanese passport can apply without paying the fee for:
- a study or open work permit, or extension
- a visitor record
- a new temporary resident permit if they already have one
There's also a policy to help people in Canada who:
- left Sudan on or after April 15, 2023,
- entered Canada before July 15, 2023, and
- are the family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who also left Sudan on or after April 15, 2023.
They can apply without paying the fee for:
- a study or open work permit
- biometrics
- permanent residence as a sponsored or child in Canada with faster application processing
They must have valid temporary resident status both when they apply and when IRCC decides their application.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Sudan
Canadian citizens and permanent residents affected by the conflict in Sudan do not pay any fees to get travel documents, citizenship certificates, or permanent residence travel documents.
People must apply by October 27, 2025.
Ukraine
People in Canada whose Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) application was approved and arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024, can apply for:
- a new study permit or extension
- a new open work permit or extension.
They can apply for these until March 31, 2026, and must pay the application fees.
All Ukrainians and their family who are in Canada as temporary residents can access free settlement services until March 31, 2026.
Pro Bono Ontario has a telephone hotline that provides free legal advice and referrals to Ukrainians who want to enter or remain in Canada. For legal help, call: 1-877-873-7875. Help is available in Ukrainian, English, or French.
Yazidis and survivors of Daesh in Iraq
Canada had a program to give permanent residence to family members of a previously resettled Yazidi person or survivor of Daesh who now lives in Canada as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is not accepting new applications under this program.
IRCC is processing applications already submitted and is contacting family members in Canada who have applied. IRCC will accept up to 400 applicants and their families.
