Ukrainian refugees will return home after war, ministry says
(Ottawa) Canada’s Immigration Department says it still expects Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia to return to their home country once the conflict ends.
Published yesterday at
This is despite comments from Immigration Minister Lena Diab, who recently acknowledged that many Ukrainians who came to Canada on temporary visas are here for good.
“Canada and the people who made this decision thought it would be temporary, that’s why they were called temporary programs. We now know that this is not temporary,” declared Mme Diab in an interview with La Presse Canadienne on January 26.
“They have been here for X number of years and, for the most part, they work, they build a life, they have children, etc. So I understand that. »
The AVUCU (Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization) visa offered three-year work and study permits to people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Holders of this visa have until March 31 to request an extension, as the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion quickly approaches. AVUCU visas will remain valid while applications are processed.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada currently has Ukraine on its list of countries to which it is not deporting people due to the ongoing war.
Nearly 300,000 people arrived in Canada under an emergency visa program launched after Russia invaded Ukraine almost 4 years ago.
Si Mme Diab said he knows some Ukrainians on temporary visas are here for good, but his communications director, Laura Blondeau, said the plan is for AUCU visa holders to return home when the situation allows.
“Those who came to Canada under AVUCU have access to existing pathways to obtain permanent residency, and many have already done so,” argued Ms.me Blondeau.
“Across all sectors, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has received thousands of applications for permanent residence from Ukrainians. »
Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows that approximately 2,500 emergency visa holders have obtained permanent residence.
More than 25,000 AUVU visa holders have applied for permanent residency through a temporary program for people with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in their family. This program ended in October 2024.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is among the groups pushing for a permanent residency program for holders of these visas, because many of them do not have enough points to qualify for Canada’s express entry system.
“Temporary permanent status”
Ihor Michalchyshyn, director of the group, said his organization was trying to get the government to focus on the human aspect of the permanent residency issue.
“They’re building their lives in Canada, but they’re sort of stuck in this temporary situation, this permanent temporary status. We are therefore trying to propose to the government and the minister a path allowing these people to obtain permanent residence more quickly,” Mr. Michalchyshyn said on Monday.
“It’s not about citizenship, it’s about permanent residency. This gives them more options and better status in Canada. »
For example, permanent residents can pay domestic tuition fees at higher education institutions, instead of fees four to five times higher for international students.
Canada is reducing the number of permanent residents it welcomes compared to recent years, and the list of applications is long.
The waiting time for people applying for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds is more than ten years.
“Ridiculous isn’t even the right word” to describe the delay, Mr. Michalchyshyn said, hoping that a technological or policy change will reduce the wait time.
“I don’t think living with temporary status for ten years or more is a realistic way for people to build their lives here,” he argued.
Mme Diab previously said she had urged her provincial counterparts to consider granting Ukrainians places in the provincial nominee program to obtain permanent residency. A permanent residence application submitted under this program in January has only a six-month waiting period.
Roksolana Kryshtanovych, a spokesperson for the United Ukrainians for Canada Foundation, previously told The Canadian Press that many AVUCU visa holders do not work in jobs that meet the requirements of the provincial nominee program or do not have enough points to qualify for express entry.
She said Monday that Ukrainians are grateful for the AVUCU program, but that a path to permanent residency is the natural evolution of the temporary program after four years of war.
Mme Blondeau said the department was not in a position to speculate on possible policy changes.
Mme Diab previously explained that creating a new pathway to permanent residency was a challenge, but that she is aware of the human impact of the uncertainty faced by AVUCU visa holders.
“We will continue to look at this issue because we know we have to and it is the right thing to do,” Mr.me Diab on January 26. Not just for Ukrainians, but also for other people who might find themselves in the same or similar situation. »
