On April 2, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced new special measures to support foreign nationals in Canada who may be directly affected by natural disasters, such as wildfires, storms, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, occurring in Canada.
The measures, effective from April 1, 2026, to November 30, 2028, include the following:
- Students, workers or visitors who held a temporary residence status on the date they were directly affected by a natural disaster now have up to six to apply to restore their status, rather than the 90 days they usually have.
- Foreign emergency services personnel from visa-required countries travelling to Canada to help respond to a natural disaster will be exempt from standard application or biometric collection fees, helping them arrive more quickly to support response efforts.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.