Canada Extends Work Permit Relief for Eligible Palestinians

Canada has extended temporary immigration measures that allow certain Palestinians and family members of Canadians to apply for open work permit extensions while remaining in the country.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada published the new temporary public policy on Aug. 24, 2026. It applies to eligible foreign nationals in Canada who previously received work permits under seven earlier special measures introduced following events in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

The policy applies to qualifying applications received on or after Aug. 1, 2026, and is scheduled to remain in effect until Dec. 30, 2027. The government can revoke the temporary measure earlier without prior notice.

Who Can Qualify?

To qualify for an open work permit extension, applicants must have left Palestine on or after Oct. 7, 2023, and must currently hold valid temporary resident status in Canada.

They must also either be a Palestinian national or an eligible family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who left Palestine on or after Oct. 7, 2023.

Palestinian nationals must hold a passport or travel document issued by the Palestinian Authority.

The new measure covers people who received work permits through seven temporary public policies introduced between December 2023 and July 2025.

Each eligible applicant can receive only one work permit extension under the new policy.

Family Members Covered

Canada uses the definition of “family member” established under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

This includes a spouse or common-law partner, a dependent child, a dependent child of a spouse or common-law partner, and certain dependent grandchildren.

A dependent child is generally under 22 years old and cannot be married or in a common-law relationship.

Someone aged 22 or older may still qualify as a dependent child if they have relied financially on their parents since before turning 22 because of a physical or mental condition.

Other Immigration Requirements Still Apply

The temporary policy provides a limited exemption from one standard requirement for obtaining a work permit.

Eligible applicants do not need to qualify under the usual categories within Canada’s International Mobility Program or Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

However, the policy does not remove other temporary residence requirements.

Applicants must still meet general admissibility rules, including requirements related to criminality and medical inadmissibility. They must also show they can support themselves financially during their stay in Canada and satisfy an immigration officer that they will leave the country when their authorized stay ends.

Permit Length Remains Discretionary

Immigration officers continue to decide the length of each work permit based on individual circumstances.

In general, officers may consider issuing permits for up to two years. However, a permit normally cannot extend beyond the expiry date of the applicant’s passport or other travel document.

The measure is intended to help eligible people maintain authorization to work in Canada after receiving permits under previous temporary policies.

It builds on several immigration measures introduced since December 2023 for Palestinians, residents of the Palestinian Territories and qualifying relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.