Canada’s Ukraine visa program is set to expire this month. Will Ottawa extend it? – National | 24CA News
Canada’s immigration minister will “soon” have an replace on the way forward for an emergency visa program for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s conflict as calls develop for the federal government to announce an extension.
The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program (CUAET), which expedites visas and short-term residency permits for Ukrainians and their households, is ready to run out March 31.
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The lack of a agency dedication that this system will proceed past that date is creating uncertainty and even panic amongst Ukrainians who’re nonetheless seeking to come to Canada, advocates say.
“We’ve seen an increase in numbers (of Ukrainians) arriving, particularly in Toronto, as Ukrainians get very nervous about the possibility of this program ending,” mentioned Ihor Michalchyshyn, govt director and CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which has been lobbying the federal government to increase this system.
“We haven’t had anybody in the government tell us that it is ending, but we haven’t had anybody in the government tell us that it is being extended.”
Since January 2022, 177,958 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada, together with CUAET candidates and returning Canadian everlasting residents. At least 590,000 purposes by way of the CUAET program have been permitted out of 900,000 which have been obtained.
On Wednesday, Conservative MPs together with shadow immigration minister Tom Kmiec wrote to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser calling for an extension to be introduced “without delay,” reminding him that the conflict is way from over.
The letter, a duplicate of which was shared with Global News, additionally identified Eastern European nations equivalent to Poland have accepted much more folks fleeing the conflict resulting from their proximity to Ukraine, and that Western nations like Canada have an obligation to assist ease the pressure on these nations.
“We cannot simply abandon Ukrainian civilians fleeing the war and we can and must continue to support our allies in the region who have taken on a greater burden due to their geographical proximity in helping war refugees,” the letter says.
“We urge you not to leave Ukrainians in the dark regarding your plans with this program.”
In response to the letter, a spokesperson for Fraser’s workplace on Thursday hinted at an imminent announcement concerning the CUAET program, however didn’t present specifics.
“Minister Fraser remains engaged with stakeholders, Members of Parliament and community members, and looks forward to providing an update on this soon,” Bahoz Dara Aziz mentioned in an e mail.
In their letter, the Conservative MPs spotlight the massive discrepancy between the variety of CUAET purposes obtained and what number of Ukrainians have really arrived in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has beforehand instructed Global News among the permitted candidates who haven’t arrived in Canada have chosen to remain nearer to house as a substitute, and should have forgotten to withdraw their purposes.
Michalchyshyn doesn’t dispute the reason, however notes that as a result of Canada has not offered constitution flights from Ukraine for the reason that early months of the conflict, candidates are pressured to fund their very own journeys to Canada.
He additionally pointed to delays in biometric screening that may decelerate entry instances, a problem that has plagued different emergency refugee applications just like the one designed to evacuate folks out of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
Until an extension is introduced, Michalchyshyn mentioned the UCC and different advocates will proceed to use strain on the Canadian authorities to behave.
“As long as the war continues, we know the need continues,” he mentioned. “It’s clear that the number of people in need isn’t going to change on March 31 or April 1.”
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