Lawyers say the government left the “in limbo” requests while the conditions in Gaza worsened
Palestinian families are suing the Canadian government after a temporary scheme that grants visas to Gaza Palestinians with family ties with the country suffered delays.
The scheme was criticized for its complexity and ineffectiveness in the issuance of visas.
Marku and Lee, an immigration law firm and refugees in Toronto, filed a lawsuit on February 6 on behalf of 53 Palestinian families who are currently in the Gaza Strip to ask Canada Federal Court to sue orders without delay.
The company says half of its customers are children, the youngest of whom is seven months old. They expressed concern that the Canadian government has left the requests “staying in limbo” while Gaza conditions have progressively got worse and the enclave has become uninhabitable since the scheme was released over a year ago.
They said the Canadian family members of their clients made a petition on behalf of their relatives within a month of the request, and their requests had not yet continued for the next stage. Canadian families who have petition on behalf of their relatives remain concerned about their family members’ lives.
Hana Marku, a partner at the law firm, said in a press release: “Despite the urgent need for protection, the Canadian government allowed its requests to take any attitude while these families continue to suffer.
“While waiting, our customers were exposed to inhuman and life -threatening conditions in the Gaza Strip. All our customers had their homes bombarded to the ground. They were subjected to repeated air attacks and hunger. They were sick or injured without access to medical treatment. ”
The visa program was initially launched on January 9, 2024 by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Marc Miller to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sign up to bring Gaza family members to Canada during the Israeli War in Gaza, which began in October 2023 and killed at least 48,000 people.
The scheme requires that the Canadian family that brings relatives can support them financially. The path will be closed on April 22 or when it reaches 5,000 registrations. To date, 4,782 registrations have been processed, which leaves little time for customers who are still expecting their registrations to be processed.
“Despite the urgent need for protection, the Canadian government has allowed its requests to take the limbo without taking any action as these families continue to suffer,” the press release told the press.
Successful candidates will receive temporary residence for up to three years.
“Our clients are asking the Federal Court of Canada to issue an order forcing the government to sue the pending claims of these families without further ado,” Marku and Lee said.
Originally published by Middle East Eye on 21/02/2025 – 20h42
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/02/22/familias-palestinas-de-gaza-levam-governo-canadense-ao-tribunal/
