On July 31, 2026 — the day its existing special measures for Palestinians were set to expire — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) extended them again, this time to December 30, 2027. It's the third extension since the measures were introduced in December 2023, and this round comes with two distinct tracks: one for Palestinians already in Canada, and one for Palestinians still trying to leave Gaza.
What changed
IRCC's special temporary measures let eligible Palestinians and certain family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents access fee-exempt or extended temporary status in Canada, in recognition of the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Those measures were due to lapse on July 31, 2026. Instead of letting them expire, IRCC rolled out a "balanced extension" — its own description — running to December 30, 2027, with two separate components:
If you're already in Canada under the previous measures: you can now apply to extend an open work permit issued under those measures. Standard processing fees apply to the extension itself — the fee exemption was for the original application, not the renewal. If you're on a visitor visa or study permit instead, you extend it through IRCC's normal application channels, not a special process.
If you haven't come to Canada yet: eligible Palestinians who arrive in Canada on or before September 30, 2027, and who did not apply under the earlier version of these measures, can now apply from within Canada for a fee-exempt study permit, open work permit, temporary resident permit, or temporary resident status extension. This is the track built for people who have been unable to leave Gaza to provide biometrics or complete an application while the previous measures were still in force.
Why the two-track structure
The split matters because it addresses two different problems. People already in Canada need a way to keep their status current without their permit lapsing. People still in Gaza have faced a separate obstacle entirely: many haven't been able to leave to complete biometrics or finish an application, for reasons entirely outside Canada's control. IRCC's notice is explicit about this — the extension exists specifically so that "eligible Palestinians who arrive in Canada by September 30, 2027, can access the same temporary measures as those who have arrived since 2023," rather than being shut out because a departure they couldn't control took longer than the previous deadline allowed.
The numbers
As of May 31, 2026, IRCC reported 2,383 valid work permits and 236 valid study permits held by Palestinian passport holders in Canada. Those are the people the "already in Canada" track is built for. The scale gives a sense of how small this program is relative to Express Entry or the temporary foreign worker programs — but for the people in it, a lapsed permit or a missed departure window is the difference between stability and losing status.
Update — August 24, 2026: IRCC formalizes exactly how the open work permit extension works
The July 31 notice said an extension was available for people already in Canada under the previous measures; it didn't spell out the mechanics. On August 24, 2026, IRCC published the policy that does: Temporary public policy to facilitate extensions of open work permits for foreign nationals in Canada who were facilitated under previous public policies for foreign nationals of Palestine.
The new policy applies to applications received on or after August 1, 2026, and covers work permits issued under seven earlier public policies dating back to December 2023 — the original December 16, 2023 policies for Israel/Palestinian Territories nationals and their family members, their March 7, 2024 and June 11, 2024 updates, and the July 31, 2025 policy for Palestinian Territories nationals specifically. In practice, if your current open work permit traces back to any Palestinian- or Gaza-related temporary measure since late 2023, this is the policy your extension falls under.
Who qualifies:
- You must have left Palestine on or after October 7, 2023, and hold valid temporary resident status in Canada; and
- You must be either a national of Palestine (holding a Palestinian Authority-issued passport or travel document) or a family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who left Palestine on or after October 7, 2023.
What it actually grants: the policy exempts qualifying applicants from just one requirement — the usual work permit rule that you must fall into an eligible category under the International Mobility Program or Temporary Foreign Worker Program (paragraph 200(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations). Every other standard requirement still applies: no serious inadmissibility, ability to support yourself financially, and satisfying an officer you intend to leave Canada when your authorized stay ends.
The fine print that matters: each eligible person can receive only one work permit extension under this policy. Validity is up to the officer's discretion, but officers are generally instructed to consider periods of up to two years, capped by your travel document's expiry — whichever comes first. Like the broader measures, this policy runs until December 30, 2027, and can be revoked at any time without notice.
This doesn't change who's eligible for the broader Palestinian measures described below — it answers the "how" for the specific group already working in Canada on a permit tied to one of those seven earlier policies.