Temporary public policy for foreign emergency services personnel entering Canada to support natural disaster response efforts

Background

Certain extreme weather events and natural disasters are becoming an annual occurrence in Canada. For example, in recent years, severe wildfires have occurred across the country, and firefighters from around the world have been called in for support.

Per Public Safety Canada’s Emergency Management Framework, a natural disaster in Canada is a social phenomenon that results when a hazard intersects with a vulnerable community in a way that exceeds or overwhelms the community's ability to cope and may cause serious harm to the safety, health, welfare, property or environment of people. Natural hazards and disasters include, but are not limited to, extreme natural events such as floods, hurricanes, storm surges, tsunamis, avalanches, landslides, tornadoes, wild-land urban-interface forest fires, and earthquakes.

Experience from previous wildfire seasons underscores the importance of ensuring the Government of Canada’s readiness to respond. The Department of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) negotiates agreements with other countries on behalf of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), which serves as a national coordinating body, to select foreign emergency services personnel like firefighters, and expedite their arrival given urgent need for them on the ground. Similar steps may need to be taken to recruit support for other domestic natural disasters.

Public policy considerations

In recognition of the crucial role of foreign emergency services personnel in Canada’s response to domestic natural disasters, including wildfires, this public policy will waive certain application fees to facilitate their arrival.

I hereby establish that there are public policy considerations that justify the granting, in accordance with section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (the Act), of exemptions from the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) listed below to foreign nationals who meet the conditions (eligibility criteria) set out below.

Conditions (eligibility requirements)

Based on public policy considerations, delegated officers may grant exemptions from the requirements of the Regulations listed below, if the following conditions are met:

The foreign national:

1. has been selected by a provincial, territorial, or national coordinating body for emergency management or disaster response that is working in coordination with the Government of Canada or a Canadian province or territory, and in cooperation with an entity representing emergency services personnel in the foreign national’s home country, to enter Canada as an emergency services personnel for the purpose of responding to a natural disaster in Canada; and
2. has submitted an application for a temporary resident visa (TRV) between April 1, 2026 and November 30, 2028 to enter Canada as an emergency services personnel for the purposes of responding to a natural disaster in Canada.

Provisions of the Regulations for which an exemption may be granted

• Subsection 296(1) – the requirements to pay an application processing fee for a Temporary Resident Visa; and
• Subsection 315.1(1) – the requirement to pay for the provision of service in relation to the collection of biometric information.

Other Admissibility and Selection Criteria

Foreign nationals eligible under this public policy are subject to all other legislative admissibility and selection requirements not exempted under this, or another public policy.

Concepts and Definitions applicable to this Public Policy

For the purpose of this public policy, an extreme natural event can be considered a natural disaster if it meets at least one of the following criteria:

• the event resulted in a local state of emergency;
• the event required evacuation of persons from the affected geographic area;
• the event involved significant damage or interruption of normal processes such that the community affected could not recover on its own, thereby requiring an appeal for assistance from other jurisdictions.

Effective Date and Expiration

This public policy comes into effect on April 1, 2026 and applies to applications received on or after the date it comes into effect.

This public policy expires on November 30, 2028. It may be revoked at any time without prior notice.