By Canadian Press

Canadians and close relatives in Lebanon offered help to travel to Canada

Sep 4, 2020 | 8:27 AM

OTTAWA — Canada is waiving some immigration fees for Lebanese-Canadians and their close relatives affected by last month’s explosions in Beirut if they want to come to Canada.

The Immigration Department also says it will rush travel documents for Canadian citizens in Lebanon and prioritize applications for non-citizens if they’re related to Canadians and live in the areas damaged by the massive detonations in the port on Aug. 4.

Those who qualify will get help without paying the usual prices for documents and application processing including citizenship certificates, passports and work permits.

The measures are to last until the end of January.

The explosion of a Beirut warehouse packed with ammonium nitrate last month killed an estimated 190 people, injured thousands, and devastated neighbourhoods for kilometres around.

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Afterward, the Lebanese government resigned, layering a political crisis on top of the disaster.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press