The city of Toronto is opening up hotel rooms for 150 asylum seekers following a $97-million pledge from the federal government toward shelter spaces for refugees and those seeking asylum. “We know that Torontonians are generous. We know that together we can be welcoming for refugee claimants so they have dignity, so they don’t have…

With 230,000 Ukrainians having already emigrated to Canada to flee the war, a recently disclosed internal memo from the Immigration Department says there is “no limit” on the number of Ukrainian war refugees that can be allowed into Canada. The government closed applications on July 15 for Ukrainian refugees looking to obtain temporary emergency visas and…

The federal government is announcing $212 million more in funding for interim housing for people claiming asylum in Canada, including about $97 million for Toronto. The city has been seeing asylum seekers and refugee claimants sleeping on the sidewalks, unable to get a space in Toronto’s overwhelmed shelter system. A church in Toronto is now…

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says deportation orders for international students caught up in a fraud scheme have been put on hold while a task force investigates each case. Hundreds of students might have been affected by the scheme, which saw immigration agents issue fake acceptance letters to get international students into Canada. Some students had…

Following Ottawa’s unveiling of a new Canadian passport design on May 10, the Royal Canadian Legion said they are “disappointed” by the decision to remove an image of the Vimy Ridge Memorial that “signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides.”  “The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, also representing…

Federal ministers Karina Gould and Sean Fraser have unveiled Canada’s new passport designs stripped of previous historical symbols featured in the previous version. They say the reasons for the changes are mostly to prevent counterfeiting and are not politically motivated. Gould, who is minister of families, children and social development, and Fraser, who is the…

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says Canada will extend the emergency visa application period for Ukrainians looking for a safe haven until July 15. The deadline to apply for the three-year visa was originally March 31. Ukrainians will still be able to apply for traditional work, study and visitor permits to come to Canada after the…

Following a series of major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last month, Ottawa says it will introduce pathways to allow temporary residents from those countries to extend their stay in Canada. “People who have been impacted will benefit from special treatment in their application to come and receive temporary protection in Canada, including the family…

The federal government today announced a new grant for low- and middle-income Canadians who transition their home-heating systems from oil to electric heat pumps. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser announced the $250 million Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) Grant during a press conference today in Stellarton, N.S., which he said will “reduce pollution” and create…