Ottawa program for Ukrainians seeking permanent residency lacks data, advocacy group says

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As the federal government launched a program to help Ukrainians seek permanent residency in Canada, a leading advocacy group said it wants more information on how the effort will work as well as more data on where and how many Ukrainians have settled in Canada.

“Data is lacking all over the place in this,” said Ihor Michalchyshyn, executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, a decades-old umbrella organization for Canadian Ukrainian groups.

“We know how many people have come, but we don’t know how many people are working, how many people have gone back,” Mr. Michalchyshyn said Sunday.

He said there is data on where people have settled because of records from health ministries in various provinces and school registrations. “It would be helpful for everybody to have more information.”

As an emergency federal program ended Saturday, the federal government announced that, as of Oct. 23, Ukrainian nationals in Canada with temporary resident status and one or more family members in the country can seek permanent residence status.

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Family members that would allow a Ukrainian national to qualify include Ukrainian spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, and children or grandchildren of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, said a statement from the federal immigration department. More detailed information on the program is to be released closer to the October launch of the program.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement on Sunday that Canada stands resolute in condemning Russia’s violence against Ukraine.

“We continue to extend unwavering support and a lifeline to families separated by this conflict, including through this family reunification pathway that will help Ukrainian families stay together as they rebuild their lives in their new communities in Canada.”

Also announced was a provision to allow Ukrainians with a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel to travel to Canada until March 31, 2024.

Ukrainians and their family members can still apply for a temporary resident visa in Canada under pre-existing immigration measures, said the statement.

Ottawa said it would continue to process overseas emergency visa applications received before the July 15 deadline free of charge. Mr. Fraser had extended the program in March as the war went into its second year.

Mr. Michalchyshyn said impressive work has been done under challenging circumstances.

“In the midst of a terrible situation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we, the community, Canadians, have done a great job welcoming Ukrainians,” he said.

He said Saturday’s announcement was not a surprise. “We knew there would be a family reunification program coming. It’s still several months away, so we’re going to get a lot more input and clarification about how that will work.”

Mr. Michalchyshyn said his organization’s biggest question is what those seeking visas will be asked given past issues, before the war, about questions. “We want to get some details on what, exactly, the new visa questionnaire looks like,” he said.

Asked about the congress concerns, Ms. Fraser’s press secretary did not address the data issues, but said co-operation has been key to developing policy.

“As Ukrainians continue to flee Russia’s illegal war, Canada remains committed to offering a safe haven. This new pathway was created in collaboration with Ukrainian-Canadian community groups,” Bahoz Dara Aziz said Sunday.

“They were clear in the need for a family reunification pathway, and together, we have ensured this came to fruition. This pathway will allow for increased and faster family reunification, and greater opportunities for Ukrainians to stay and work in Canada.”

Ms. Dara Aziz said, on temporary residency, that measures remain in place that will reduce refusals and ensure those who apply to come to Canada are able to support themselves once here.

In the long term, Mr. Michalchyshyn said the ultimate congress goal is to have a visa-free protocol for Ukraine, noting there is no visa requirement for Canadians in Ukraine.

“It remains our policy objective, but in the short term we were willing to explore ways to help people get here faster, to get people here in the immediate timeframe as opposed to delays.”

More than 1.1 million people have applied and at least 800,000 visas have been approved as of July 1, though only about 166,000 Ukrainians, or 21 per cent of the visa holders, have actually come to Canada. Meanwhile, the United Nations Refugee Agency estimates more than 6.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine and more than five million have been displaced in Ukraine itself during the war.

With a report from The Canadian Press.