3 Ukrainian children stranded in Mexico granted visas to return to Edmonton | 24CA News

Three Ukrainian kids, adopted by an Edmonton girl, are coming dwelling after being stranded in Mexico for months.

“Everyone is happy to hear happy news,” mentioned Olga Ostapiv, who’s a Canadian citizen and the authorized guardian of three kids from Ukraine named Anastasia, Yulia and Maksim.

The youngsters have a particular kind of visa known as CUAET ( Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel), which grants them one-time entry into Canada. It shouldn’t be thought-about a refugee program.

1:513 Ukrainian kids from Edmonton caught in Mexico

Ostapiv mentioned she needed to assist them neglect in regards to the conflict and determined to take them on a trip she had booked earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine a yr in the past.

She says as a result of her English isn’t nice, she requested immigration officers if the youngsters may journey with these paperwork and was informed sure.

However, when it got here time to move again to the airport in Mexico and return dwelling to Edmonton, she discovered the youngsters couldn’t fly again to Canada.

The youngsters have been in Mexico for 2 months now, resort hopping on a weekly foundation and unable to return to Edmonton.

Ostapiv accepts accountability and admits it’s her mistake for not understanding the boundaries of the visa.

“I just simply ask, please help me to fix this,” she mentioned Thursday, including the youngsters suffered due to her misunderstanding. “I took responsibility for those kids. They trust me. They like to stay here.”

For two months, Ostapiv has been working to get the visa subject resolved.

At one level, sending the youngsters again to Ukraine appeared prefer it is likely to be the one selection — a heartbreaking possibility, as they’d began college in Edmonton, made new pals, and joined actions like dance and taekwondo.

The youngsters have been wanting ahead to as soon as once more attending summer season occasions they took in after they first arrived in Edmonton, just like the Heritage Festival.

“The worst scenario is to send them back home,” she mentioned, explaining they’d be housebound in a area with no energy or in-person college. “They lost connection with their friends and schoolmates in the Ukraine. And their first question was, how can we (go) back now?”

On Thursday, Ostapiv informed Global News the youngsters had been granted visas and passports to come back again to Canada.

Ostapiv mentioned she was prepared to leap on a aircraft to Puerto Vallarta straight away however was suggested by the federal government employees she’s been speaking with to attend whereas the paperwork is processed.

She is now working to get the paperwork into the youngsters’s fingers and thinks it may take per week to get that sorted.

Ostapiv mentioned her household lives a quiet, easy life and chatting with the media in regards to the mix-up has been worrying — however after two months of attempting to cope with the difficulty on their very own and getting nowhere, going public about it introduced outcomes.

“I didn’t expect it to be so fast,” she mentioned of the youngsters had been getting their documentation two days after she spoke out. “I thought, yes, maybe faster — maybe a week — but today, really, it’s like magic.”

She could be very grateful for all of the individuals who helped to get the youngsters dwelling.

“Thank you for everyone. It’s lots people involved and helped me to solve my mistake.”

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