Canada adds support for disaster-affected temporary residents, i.e., Canada has introduced new temporary immigration measures to support temporary residents who are affected by natural disasters inside the country. These residents include international students, temporary foreign workers, and visitors.
Natural disasters may include wildfires, storms, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
Under these new measures, temporary residents who are directly affected will be allowed to:
- Replace their status documents; and
- Apply to restore or extend their status in Canada.
Under this policy, eligible individuals will get up to six months from the date they were directly affected by a natural disaster to restore their temporary resident status, such as a work or study permit. Normally, foreign nationals are given only 90 days to restore their status after it expires. These new rules give them much more time to apply.
The special measures came into effect on April 1, 2026, and are expected to continue until November 30, 2028.
Temporary residents who apply to extend their status before their current permit expires will still benefit from maintained status. This means they can continue working or studying while their application is being processed.
Who Can Qualify For These Measures?
To be eligible under this policy, a person must:
- Have had valid temporary resident status as a student, worker, or visitor on the day they were affected by the disaster; and
- Have been directly affected by a natural disaster in Canada between April 1, 2026, and November 30, 2028.
Those who had a temporary resident permit (TRP) and want to stay longer must apply for a new TRP.
- IRCC has also defined what it means to be “directly affected” by a natural disaster under this policy. Applicants must meet this definition to qualify.
Steps To Apply For Status Restoration
The process to restore status is similar for visitors, international students, and temporary foreign workers:
- Apply to restore your status using the correct application for your category.
- Apply online if possible; paper applications should only be used if allowed.
- Include a signed letter explaining how and when the natural disaster affected you, and add the code “NaturalDisaster2026.”
- Provide proof that you lived in or stayed in the affected area, such as an ID, utility bill, or hotel receipt.
Depending on the type of status, applicants must also provide supporting documents:
- For workers: employer details and proof that the workplace is not operating
- For students: details of the DLI and proof that the school is closed
Submit the application correctly:
- Online: upload documents under “Client Information”
- Paper: write “NaturalDisaster2026” on the envelope and the first page
It is important to note that regular fees for restoring status and other services will still apply.
Option For Faster Processing
Some applicants may qualify for urgent processing. To request this, they must use the IRCC webform.
- Under “What do you need to do?” they should select “Request Priority Processing for my existing application.”
- Under “Tell us about your situation,” they must write “NaturalDisaster2026” and explain why their case needs faster processing.
- They must also complete all other required fields in the form.
In addition, IRCC has announced support for foreign emergency workers coming from visa-required countries to help during disasters. These workers will not have to pay regular application or biometric fees. This step is expected to help them travel faster and support emergency response efforts more quickly.
In 2025, around 1,595 foreign emergency workers entered Canada using electronic travel authorizations and temporary resident visas to help manage wildfire situations.
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