The new program fast-track visa pathway for Ukrainians has launched on March 17th. The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), an accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians fleeing war, was launched on March 17 by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
Ukrainians and their immediate family members, regardless of nationality, are allowed to stay in Canada for up to three years thanks to the Fast-track visa pathway for Ukrainians. Applicants from outside the United States must apply for a visitor visa online and provide biometrics information.
CUAET applicants can apply for a three-year open work permit at the same time as they apply for their visa, which allows them to work for any employer in Canada. Canada has waived many of the standard requirements for visitor visas and work permits under this special program.
Benefits for Ukrainian workers, students, visitors, and their family members who are already in Canada are included in the new measures. Ukrainians in Canada can apply for a three-year extension of their visitor status or work permit, a new work or study permit, or an extension of their current permit. All extension and work or study permit application fees will be waived by the IRCC.
Employers in Canada who want to help Ukrainians find work should post their job openings on Job Bank’s Jobs for Ukraine page. The Job Bank will then collaborate with local organizations and employers to help them connect with Ukrainians looking for work in their areas.
The Canadian government is also in talks with provinces and territories, businesses, and Ukrainian-Canadian communities and organizations.
In addition to this new path, Canada expects to announce the details of a special family-reunification sponsorship pathway in the coming weeks. Ukrainian nationals will be able to reunite with their immediate and extended family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, as well as permanently settle in Canada.
Since the start of the Ukrainian crisis, Canada has made a number of immigration-related efforts to help Ukrainians seeking asylum in the country. Faster processing, extensions, and fee waivers for immigration documents and applications are part of these efforts. Canada has announced $117 million in funding to implement all of these special immigration measures aimed at expediting the arrival of Ukrainians as part of its response to the crisis in Ukraine.
With the situation in Ukraine becoming direr, a number of organizations and political parties are now urging the Canadian government to organize chartered flights to help Ukrainians arrive. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada does not rule out the possibility. At a press conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that if there is enough demand, Canada will take additional measures.
