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Pinoy Abroad

Canadian immigration to prioritize applications from Pinoys 'significantly affected' by Yolanda


The Canadian government will prioritize the processing of applications from people "significantly affected" by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

According to Canada Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, Canadians are “deeply saddened by the devastating impact Typhoon Haiyan has had on the Philippine people.

“Our government will continue to take action to support those impacted by the storm and we will work with our partners to ensure that urgent support is provided to those who are significantly affected by this tragic event," Alexander said in a post on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website.

The CIC said the Canadian Embassy in Manila "remains open and is providing full visa, immigration and passport services." It added the Visa Application Centers in Manila and Cebu are also open.

Yolanda tore through Visayas and Southern Luzon last week. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 2,000 had been killed in its wake.

Priority cases

According to the CIC, applicants overseas who can "demonstrate that they are significantly and personally affected by the typhoon" and wish to declare their cases a priority may contact the visa office in Manila at manila-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca.

"Those in the affected areas will be treated as a priority," it said.

It added requests from Filipino citizens temporarily in Canada who want to extend their stay will be assessed in a "compassionate and flexible manner."

"Applicants and their family members in Canada who wish to declare their cases as a priority can contact situation-philippines@cic.gc.ca or contact CIC’s Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100, which has a dedicated crisis line," it added.

It said those who have applied online or who are applying online, and are significantly and personally affected by the typhoon, may send a follow-up email to situation-philippines@cic.gc.ca, "indicating you require urgent processing."

"Be sure to include as much information as possible: such as your name, date of birth, and client ID which can be found on any correspondence with CIC," it said.

However, it also urged applicants to "refrain from contacting the dedicated crisis lines for general immigration enquiries." — KBK, GMA News

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