Global Affairs Canada says it has received more than 1,300 loan applications through its COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad. It says it has already paid out $1.8 million to 500 recipients who either need money to get home or to cover their living expenses where they are stuck.
Cash-strapped and stranded abroad, hundreds of Canadians are waiting for an emergency loan from the federal government because they need money to pay for hotels or book flights.
The Canadian government has paid out $1.8 million in loans to 525 recipients through the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad. It is currently processing another 800 loan applications, according to Global Affairs Canada.
The repayable loan of up to $5,000 is intended to cover flights back to Canada, or basic expenses, such as hotels and food, until citizens can return home. There are currently 391,451 Canadians signed up to the Registration of Canadians Abroad.
Kimberley Bradley, 50, of Pembroke, Ont., says she needs the emergency loan to cover her hotel bill in Varadero, Cuba. She’s been forced into quarantine with hundreds of other travellers and only has enough cash to cover four more nights, she said.
“People have run out out of money. They’re waiting on emergency loans, begging the hotels to wait,” she said. “I have no room left on my credit card.”
Bradley said she has booked three different commercial flights out of Cuba in the past 10 days, each paid for on her credit card, but they’ve all been cancelled. Each time, she received credit for future travel but no refund.
Travelling on a tight budget
Bradley started the loan application process eight days ago. She received an email from Canada’s emergency response centre today that said, “Due to a high volume of requests, we will not be able to give updates on the status of individual loan applications.” The most recent communication warned the process could take a week.
In a statement released Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada said it is working “around the clock” to ensure it is “providing emergency assistance and consular services to Canadians abroad who need it.”
