‘Don’t rely’ on Ottawa for help fleeing Iran war, feds tell Canadians – National
‘Don’t rely’ on Ottawa for help fleeing Iran war, feds tell Canadians – National
https://globalnews.ca/news/11714258/iran-war-evacuation-plans-canada/
Publish Date: 2026-03-03 10:53:00
Canadians in the Middle East are being told to make plans that “don’t rely” on the Government of Canada as the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran escalates.
There are roughly 97,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents registered in the region, Global Affairs Canada said on Tuesday.
Canadians are being told to “avoid all travel” to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen and to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
“Our ability to provide consular services to Canadians during an active conflict is limited, with priority given to provision of essential services such as the processing of travel documents,” GAC said in a Tuesday morning update.
“Canadians in an affected country should prepare contingency plans that don’t rely on the Government of Canada’s assistance for departure,” the department added.
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The update added, however, that GAC will share information with Canadians registered in the region as soon as air travel and/or land crossings are available.
As of Tuesday, GAC said it was not aware of any Canadians who have been injured or killed because of the hostilities.
2:40
Middle East war spreads as U.S., Israel expand strikes on Iran
The actual number of Canadians in the region is likely higher, since registration with GAC is voluntary.
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Iran alone had almost 3,000 Canadians registered with GAC, but the highest number was in the United Arab Emirates (24,594).
GAC sends regular updates to registered…
