Canada will continue offering refuge to Palestinians fleeing the war in Gaza, but the federal government remains vague about the program's limits and costs. Blacklock's Reporter says Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed Monday that special permits for Gazans are being extended, while declining to say whether the current cap of 5,000 applicants will change.Diab’s department also refused to release details on the total cost of the initiative, which includes tax-free grants of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child.“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is devastating,” Diab said in a statement. “Extending these measures will build on the work we’ve done to provide a temporary refuge for Palestinians in Canada who can’t safely return home.”.So far, 1,750 applicants have cleared security checks and been approved to travel to Canada, with over 860 having already arrived. Most are relatives — such as cousins or in-laws — of permanent residents.Canada continues to process applications for extended family members and is offering newcomers free work or study permits, language training, three months of health care, and school enrollment for children. Fees are waived for those permits. The department has not explained discrepancies in the number of approved applications, which was last reported at 4,782 as of January 16.“Canada continues to advocate for both the exit and safety of people still in Gaza, however we do not ultimately decide who can leave,” said the immigration department, which noted in a May 27 briefing that there were no crossings into Egypt at that time..The federal government has not disclosed the total cost of the program.Marc Miller, who served as immigration minister when the 5,000-person cap was introduced, criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 2023 attacks that killed and kidnapped civilians, including eight Canadians. Miller described Gaza as “the largest hostage taking in the world.”“We are all failing Gazans at this point,” Miller said at the time. “People in and around Rafah are very exposed to death, to starvation, to bombardment. We are trying to save lives.”
