Mona Alatbash leads her family on a journey to a nearby building in Khan Younis displacement camp in southern Gaza. They bring chairs and flashlights to improve their phone signal for a video call with Mona’s sister Eman in Cobourg, Ont.
The family had applied for admission to Canada through a special program for extended family of Palestinian Canadians almost two years ago, but there has been no progress on their request.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) initiated the program in January 2024 to reunite families from Gaza with their Canadian relatives. Some families have resorted to paying bribes to smuggle their loved ones out of Gaza while facing delays in their visa applications.
Eman, who has lived in Canada for a decade and is a single mother of two, applied on the program’s opening day. Despite expecting a quick process, they only received an email in April 2024 about the biometrics screening phase, prompting Eman to pay bribes to smuggle out some family members.
The family remains divided between Cobourg, Cairo, and Gaza as their applications undergo security screenings. Eman, who lost her brother in the war, is desperate to bring her entire family to safety in Canada.
Despite 880 individuals arriving in Canada through the special program, challenges persist due to institutional resistance and lack of resources. The program is now closed to new applicants after reaching its capacity of 5,000 spots.
Security screening delays and a shortage of Arabic-speaking personnel have contributed to the slow processing of applications. Immigration lawyer Pantea Jafari noted that such delays are unusual for similar programs and shouldn’t be prolonged due to external factors.
Eman, feeling the strain of the prolonged separation from her family, remains hopeful for a positive outcome. As she continues to navigate the complexities of reuniting her family, her young son Zahed’s innocent prayers for their safe arrival resonate with her deeply.