New Canada Permanent Residence Pathway For Families Of Ethiopian, Ukraine Air Disasters

A new pathway to Canada permanent residence for families of victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 plane crashes has been announced.

A new public policy, announced May 13, 2021, allows in-Canada family members of citizens, permanent residents and those found eligible for permanent residence who were victims of one of the two crashes to apply for permanent status.

Applicants are still eligible if they lost their status in Canada. All other standard fees and biometric requirements and standard admissibility requirements apply.

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says it is working on further measures to help family members who are outside Canada.

Meanwhile the temporary residence policy put in place specifically for victims of the Ukraine crash has been extended. This will allow those that qualify for the new permanent residence stream to extend their status while their application is processed.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said the new pathway was designed to help grieving families.

“This new pathway to permanent residence is one of the ways we are helping families of Canadian victims cope, in the hope that they may build their lives in Canada,” he said.

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How the Tragedies Happened

• On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, killing 157 people, including 18 Canadians and many others with ties to Canada.
• On January 8, 2020, a passenger jet carrying 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, in Tehran. Of the 176 people who died on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, 138 had ties to Canada.

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Public Policy For Victims Of Air Disasters: Who Can Apply?

To be eligible, candidates must meet three criteria:

1. The member of the candidate’s family who was a victim of flight ET302 or PS752 must have been a:

• Canadian citizen.
• Permanent resident of Canada.
• Foreign national with a positive eligibility decision on their permanent residence application.

2. Candidates must be:

• The spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian victim of flight ET302 or PS752.
• One of the following relatives of a Canadian victim or of their spouse or common-law partner:
  • Child.
  • Grandchild.
  • Parent.
  • Grandparent.
  • Sibling (including half-siblings).
  • Aunt or uncle (sibling of a victim’s parent or sibling of a victim’s spouse or common-law partner’s parent).
  • Niece or nephew (child of a victim’s sibling or child of a victim’s spouse or common-law partner’s sibling).

3. Candidates must be in Canada at the time of application, and have done one of the following:

• Had valid temporary resident status in Canada when the family member died flight ET302 or PS752.
• Been granted temporary residence after the family member died on flight ET302 or PS752, as long the application was dated before March 23, 2021.
• Made a refugee claim in Canada on or after the date that the family member died on flight ET302 or PS752, and the claim has not been found ineligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board.
• Benefitted from the 2020 or 2021 temporary residence public policy for families of victims of Flight PS752.