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Canada’s Minister of Immigration will “soon” provide an update on the future of the emergency visa program for Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia, as calls for extensions increase to the government.
The Canadian-Ukrainian Emergency Travel Authorization Program (CUAET), which expedites the issuance of visas and temporary residence permits for Ukrainians and their families, expires on March 31.
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The lack of firm assurance that the program will continue beyond that date is creating uncertainty and even panic among Ukrainians who still want to come to Canada, advocates say.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of arrivals (Ukrainians), especially in Toronto, as Ukrainians are very nervous about the possibility of this program being terminated,” said Igor Mikhalchyshyn, executive director and CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which lobbied the government to extend the program.
“No one in government told us it was ending, but no one in government told us it was being extended.”
Since January 2022, 177,958 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada, including CUAET applicants and returning permanent residents of Canada. At least 590,000 CUAET applications were approved out of 900,000 received.
On Wednesday, Conservative MPs, including Shadow Immigration Minister Tom Kmiek, wrote to Immigration Secretary Sean Frazier urging him to announce an extension “without delay,” reminding him that the war is far from over.
The letter, a copy shared with Global News, also indicated that Eastern European countries such as Poland have accepted many more people fleeing the war due to their proximity to Ukraine, and that Western countries such as Canada have an obligation to help alleviate the burden of these people. countries.
“We cannot simply abandon Ukrainian civilians fleeing the war, and we can and must continue to support our allies in the region, who, due to their geographical proximity, have taken on a greater burden of helping war refugees,” the letter says.
“We urge you not to leave Ukrainians in the dark about your plans with this program.”
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In response to the letter, a spokesman for Fraser’s office on Thursday hinted at an imminent announcement of the CUAET program, but did not provide details.
“Minister Frazier continues to liaise with stakeholders, MPs and members of the community and looks forward to providing an update on this matter soon,” Bahoz Dara Aziz said in an email.
In their letter, the Conservative MPs note a large discrepancy between the number of CUAET applications received and how many Ukrainians actually arrived in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada previously told Global News that some of the approved applicants who did not arrive in Canada instead opted to stay closer to home and may have forgotten to withdraw their applications.
Mikhalchyshyn does not dispute the explanation, but notes that since Canada has not provided charter flights from Ukraine since the first months of the war, the applicants are forced to pay for their trips to Canada on their own.
He also pointed to biometric verification delays that could shorten entry times, a problem that other emergency refugee programs suffer from, such as a program designed to evacuate people from Afghanistan after a Taliban takeover.
Until an extension is announced, Mikhalchyshyn said the UCC and other supporters will continue to pressure the Canadian government to act.
“As long as the war continues, we know the need remains,” he said. “It is clear that the number of those in need will not change either on March 31 or April 1.”
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