Canada will continue to allow emergency travel between Canada and Ukraine
Canada's government will extend the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) for Ukrainians living abroad through July 15, 2023, according to Sean Fraser, minister of immigration.
Current CUAET holders will now have until March 31, 2024, without incurring any fees, to enter Canada and extend or modify their temporary status if they are already there.
The one-time tax-free cash support and access to short-term emergency housing for up to two weeks after arriving in Canada are still available to Ukrainians and their family members.
The Emergency Travel Authorization for Canada and Ukraine
Canada implemented the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine (CUAET). Under the CUAET, Ukrainians and members of their immediate families, regardless of nationality, are permitted to dwell temporarily in Canada for up to three years.
Ukrainians who are already in Canada have the option to extend their visitor status, work visa, or study permit thanks to the CUAET measures.
943,730 Ukrainians had submitted CUAET applications as of March 16 of this year, and 616,429 had been accepted. Only 190,970, nevertheless, have made it to Canada.
Although the CUAET is primarily a visiting visa, Ukrainians may concurrently and for no fee submit an application for an open work permit. Participants with an open work permit may work for any Canadian employer.
All CUAET applications are given priority processing by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as an additional support mechanism. Also, there are no expenses associated with providing biometric data for CUAET participants.
The federal government also provides CUAET participants with a one-time, non-taxable incentive of $3,000 per adult participant and an extra $1,500 for each kid participant under the age of 17.
The benefit, which is slated to end on June 24, is the only settlement assistance provided to newcomers from Ukraine.
More actions to assist Ukrainians
Provincial-level assistance programs are also available. For instance, individuals from Ukraine are frequently invited to submit an application for provincial nomination in Manitoba, which may be advantageous for Ukrainians seeking to apply for permanent residency under the Express Entry program. A comparable provincial immigration stream exists in Saskatchewan.
Ontario has improved access to emergency housing through settlement service providers and Ukrainian community organizations and cancelled health fees for newly arrived Ukrainians. Until permanent housing can be found, this can include host homes and other interim situations.
Some charitable groups in Canada are also attempting to support Ukrainian immigrants' successful integration. For instance, 4Ukraine.ca claims to have flown more than 500 individuals to Canada, assisted in the creation of more than 1,000 resumes, and raised more than $275,000 in charity.
Employers in Canada are urged by the federal government to take on Ukrainian workers. Businesses using jobbank.ca can say they'd want to hire a Ukrainian immigrant by doing the following actions:
- Create an employer account on Job Bank.
- New job postings should be created and saved as drafts.
- Inform Job Bank that you are looking to hire Ukrainian nationals by contacting them and providing the reference number of the job posting.
