Over 7,500 Canadians sought to extract family from Gaza via a complex visa pathway in early 2021, far surpassing the initial estimates by the Federal Government. As of late April, only 179 visas had been issued out of 7,549 applications. The process involves multiple steps, including crossing the Egyptian border for a final security screening, which has proven particularly challenging. The Canadian government’s response has been criticized for its lack of urgency, with calls for more communication with applicants and easing visa security requirements. Having paid significant sums for the process, some applicants are left in limbo with no indication of the outcome.
