Canada Introduces Immigration Measures To Welcome Ukrainian Immigrants

Recently, Canada has announced that they are to introduce new immigration streams for Ukrainian individuals who wish to move to Canada may it be temporarily or permanently. With a number of 1.4 million, Canada is the third-largest Ukrainian diaspora across the globe. With that, Ukrainian individuals who wanted to come to Canada temporarily will be able to get a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.

It was also announced that there will be no limit when it comes to the number of Ukrainians who wanted to apply. Their stay in Canada could be extended by at least two years due to the pending background check and security screenings. This extended pathway is aimed by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada to open in two weeks. In addition to this, a special expedited family sponsorship program for permanent residents will also be implemented by the IRCC, and the details for this program will be released in the coming weeks.

Under this new measure, Ukrainian individuals who will be coming to Canada will be allowed to apply for open work permits. Meaning, they will be able to work for any employer of their choice within Canada. This is measure is in addition to the other work permits that the IRCC has made available. In addition to this, Canada is also allowing unvaccinated Ukrainians to enter the country given that they either have a temporary resident visa, temporary resident permit, or written notice stating that their application for permanent residence in Canada was already approved.

As mentioned by the Canadian government, the IRCC will prioritize applications for individuals living in Ukraine who wishes to travel to Canada for either work, study, to immigrate, or reunite with family. In addition to this, Canada is also prioritizing the processing of travel documents for Canadians and their family members who want to return to Canada from Ukraine. The IRCC will be an issue these individuals with single-journey travel documents for immediate family members of the Canadian citizens and permanent resident who does not hold a valid passport.

To provide further assistance, the IRCC is also launching a service channel dedicated to Ukraine inquiries. This channel will be accessible for all clients who are both in Canada and abroad. The IRCC is accepting calls at +1-613-321-4243. The affected clients can also use the IRCC web form and they can add the keyword “Ukraine2022” on their inquiry for their email to be prioritized. As stated by the IRCC, the information with regards to these temporary and permanent residence programs, along with their processing time will be announced in the coming days and weeks.