After the Canadian government opened its doors in February due to the Israel-Hamas war by allowing Israelis to apply for a work visa until June, the country has decided to extend the immigration initiative for another year due to Israel's escalation with Hezbollah in the North.
The work visa option for Israelis will be available until July 31, 2025. The extension for the visa application was believed to be done after political pressure was exerted by Canada's Jewish community as tensions in Israel continued to rise during the Israel-Hamas war.
Israeli citizens must meet two conditions in order to receive the visa.
The first requirement is that they have a tourist visa in their possession, regardless of their arrival date. The second requirement is that the Israeli citizen must have relatives who are Canadian citizens or holders of permanent residency.
Michal Harel, who moved to Canada in 2019, established the non-profit website ovrimtocanada.com with her husband.
According to Harel, thousands of Israelis have moved to Canada since the start of the immigration initiative, and following the announcement of its extension, hundreds more families are expected to move to make the move as well. "According to our estimates, thousands of Israelis have arrived. Thousands of people have contacted us, and surely some have arrived even without contacting us," she said.
"Since moving to Canada in 2019 we’ve been helping Israelis make the big move up north," the website says.
Support for those wanting to move to Canada
"Together with a group of friends from the homeland, we’ve created “Ovrim to Canada” - a portal for all immigration needs: immigration stages, the process of immigration, Canadian bureaucracy, work, health, community life," it continues.
The website provides further information about the new temporary immigration opportunity for Israelis and life in Canada. There is also a blog describing the experience of moving to Canada.
However, the immigration process itself can cost up to several tens of thousands of Canadian dollars.
Expected expenses during the process include immigration consultation and support, which can cost between $3,500 and $7,000, airfare with an expected cost of around $1,000 per person, initial rent (2 to 6 months in advance) which starts at $2,000 per month, and furniture, clothing, miscellaneous items are estimated to cost about $10,000.
Additionally a car rental is about $1,600 per month, and a car purchase can start at $20,000. In terms of studying at a college or university while located in Canada, international tuition at a college is about $7,000 per semester and international tuition at a university starts at $30,000 per year.