Minister said ‘hundreds’ of Canadians might use Gaza visa, but more than 7,500 applied

An immigration lawyer in Toronto says new figures from the federal government show just how “grudging” Ottawa’s efforts have been to rescue Canadians’ family members from the war in the Gaza Strip.Figures obtained by The Canadian Press through an access to information request show Canadians filed 7,549 initial visa applications for their family members in Gaza from the day the program opened on Jan. 9 to April 1.Debbie Rachlis, who represents dozens of applicants in the multi-step process, says many of those applications are for entire families – sometimes up to 10 people – who have Canadian connections and are trying to escape Gaza.