Canada has granted additional time to Ukrainians who applied under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel (CUAET) measure and received approval before February 4, 2024. The deadline for their arrival has been extended by four months, allowing them until July 31 to make their travel arrangements.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), until July 31, 2024, these individuals have the opportunity to arrive in Canada and apply for an inland study permit and an open work permit at no cost upon approval, VisaGuide.World reports.
Settlement services will remain available to all Ukrainian temporary residents and their dependents in Canada until March 31, next year. However, the one-time financial assistance and the emergency temporary accommodations support will no longer be available to any CUAET holders who arrived in Canada after March 31 this year.
Ukrainians approved for a CUAET visa before February 4 can still enter Canada but won’t be able to apply for work or study permits after March 31.
New Permanent Residence Pathway for Qualifying Ukrainians
Canada introduces a permanent residence pathway for qualifying Ukrainian nationals with two categories of eligible family members:
- Family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents must be Ukrainian nationals in Canada upon application submission, have valid temporary resident status or have applied for restoration, provide identity documents and a signed declaration form, and meet admissibility criteria. The Canadian sponsor must live in Canada, be 18 or older, and not have obtained permanent residence under this policy.
- Spouses or common-law partners of Ukrainian nationals unable to leave Ukraine can apply if they have family in Canada. Upon application and approval, they must be in Canada, not have remarried, have valid temporary resident status or have applied for restoration, provide identity documents and a signed declaration form, and meet admissibility criteria.
Canada Has Granted Entry to 248,726 Ukrainians Since War Started
Moreover, surveys indicate that approximately 90 percent of Ukrainians who arrived in Canada under the temporary measure initiated following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 now aspire to stay permanently.
Currently, nearly a quarter of a million Ukrainians reside in Canada after entering under CUAET. However, despite Canadian immigration officials receiving 1,189,320 applications between March 17, 2022, and February 27, 2024, only 25.9 percent of the total, amounting to 248,726 Ukrainians, have moved to Canada, as 960,091 applications were approved during this timeframe.
In this regard, Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO and executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, disclosed that there has been a noticeable increase in arrivals every week. He emphasized that people actively seek to come and arrive before the deadline expires.