Three years after arriving in Canada following the devastating March 2023 earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Türkiye and Syria, some Turkish earthquake survivors are facing uncertainty as their temporary work permits expire.
The Canadian government introduced the special immigration measures for Turkish and Syrian nationals affected by the earthquakes in response to the disaster, allowing eligible people affected by the earthquake to remain in Canada temporarily and obtain work permits.
However, as those measures come to an end, survivors who have found jobs, paid taxes and built lives in Canada say they are being left without a clear path to stay. The government has stated that their visas will not be extended.
Green Party MP Elizabeth May is among those criticizing the government’s approach, arguing that Ottawa failed to consider the program’s long-term humanitarian consequences.
“The department of immigration is extremely inefficient, and the bureaucracy is vast, and a lot of decisions don’t seem to be taken with the humanitarian implications in mind,” May told The Maple in an interview.
More than 8,000 Turkish, Kurdish and Syrian nationals in Canada were assisted under the federal government’s TS2023 temporary earthquake measures, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
A House of Commons petition calling for an extension of the measures received 8,089 verified signatures.
The petition says many TS2023 beneficiaries are employed and contributing to the Canadian economy, including in sectors facing labour shortages.
May said she had hoped the government would respond to the petition by offering additional measures for people whose permits are approaching expiry. Instead, the government’s response focused on the fact that the program was temporary.
“That does not solve the problem. Nor is it fair nor is it compassionate,” May said.
May also wrote to Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, urging the government to reconsider its position. She said she has not yet received a response to her latest letter but intends to continue pressing the minister to take action.
May said she does not believe it is responsible for the government to direct the TS2023 holders toward regular immigration programs or expect them to leave Canada after three years of rebuilding their lives here.
“We have adopted a more anti-immigrant position in the last number of years, and we have adopted policies that are lacking compassion and a humanitarian focus,” she said.
May described the government’s response as “unacceptable” and said the immigration minister has the authority to consider the situation on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
“You don’t offer help to people and then kick them when they’re down and tell them, too bad, so sad. You’re out of the country. That’s not acceptable, and that’s not the Canada I know,” she said.
For people who came to Canada under the program, the uncertainty is not simply about immigration status. It has begun to affect decisions about work, housing, education, and their families’ futures.
Zafer Imamoglu, a civil engineer who now works as an electrician in Edmonton, said he and his wife arrived in Canada three years ago with two suitcases and no friends or family here. Since then, they have built new careers, relationships and a community, and recently welcomed a daughter into the world.
“After three years, we created ourselves a whole new world,” Imamoglu said.
But uncertainty over whether they will be able to remain in Canada has made it difficult for his family to fully commit to their new life.
When Imamoglu experienced the devastating earthquake, he had been married for just seven days. His home and belongings were damaged, and he lost several relatives in the aftermath of the disaster, which caused widespread destruction.
“Sometimes my wife and I, we can’t even decide on buying a simple set of furniture just because we are thinking we might not be able to have it at our home in two or three months,” Imamoglu said.
“This created some kind of psychological warfare for people like us who are facing uncertainty every day,” he added.
Canada’s earthquake measures were extended once, until Jan. 3, 2024. After that date, applicants could no longer benefit from the special measures, and people seeking to remain in Canada were directed toward the regular immigration system.
Imamoglu said that approach fails to recognize the circumstances in which many beneficiaries came to Canada.
“The government is failing to understand, and they’re ignoring the fact that those people are not economic immigrants,” he said.
Imamoglu said the program gave people an opportunity to rebuild their lives after losing stability in the aftermath of the earthquake.
“The government is failing those immigrants who are here, integrated, working, paying taxes,” Imamoglu said. “You’re just sending integrated and trained workers outside of Canada.”
He said the government should look beyond overall immigration targets and examine who could be affected by decisions to end the temporary measures.
“I would highly urge them to look into those numbers and to see what kind of people you are sending out of Canada, what kind of workers, what kind of contribution those people are making to Canada,” he said.
For İbrahim Eker, returning to Türkiye would not mean simply going back to the life he left behind.
Eker, a veterinarian who now works in construction and drives for Uber in Ontario, was in Kahramanmaraş when the earthquake struck. He said his family survived the initial quake but lost relatives, and their home was later demolished because of damage sustained in the disaster.
When he came to Canada, Eker said, he was initially planning to stay temporarily. He had taken a one-year unpaid leave from his government job in Türkiye and thought he could return and resume his career.
But after building a life in Canada, he said, returning became much more complicated.
Eker, whose two children are now in high school and college, said they have integrated into life in Canada. The children have learned the language and the system, made friends and started building their futures here.
“Türkiye is still in very bad shape. My older son went back recently and then came back here. There is still no proper home, and people are still living in tents,” he said.
Eker said returning would also disrupt his children’s education, as the two education systems are very different.
“It means we’re going to have to build our lives from zero again,” he said.
Eker also described what he sees as an inconsistency in access to settlement services. He said his wife volunteers at a Welcome Centre and has even been invited to teach a course, while she cannot access some of the same training opportunities, including English-language courses, because of their immigration status.
“They basically tell us that you need to have a certain status to access those services,” he said.
Immigration lawyer Alexandra Cole told The Maple that the federal government was not legally required to create a dedicated pathway for TS2023 holders, but had the authority to introduce new temporary measures or a special permanent residence pathway.
“This is entirely a policy decision,” Cole said.
Cole said TS2023 holders are now left to pursue existing immigration programs, but acknowledged that many may not realistically qualify.
She said employment, family and community ties can be considered in humanitarian and compassionate applications, but three years of living and working in Canada may still not be enough to meet the threshold for approval.
For May, the issue goes beyond the legal status of a temporary program. She said the government should consider the realities of people who were encouraged to come to Canada during a humanitarian crisis and have since established roots in the country.
“We invited them to Canada, but why would we say it was only temporary when they’re here and have been paying taxes and participating in our society?” May said.
