The program allowing Ukrainians to obtain permanent residence if they have a family member in Canada is not having the expected success. Nearly six months after its launch, barely 2,000 people have submitted their applications, while nearly 300,000 are in the country with temporary status.
Opened on October 23, 2023 for a period of one year, this federal program described as a “lifeline” by the Minister of Immigration at the time, Sean Fraser, had aroused hope, but left all those perplexed. having no family here. “Very few people are going to be able to get permanent residency under this program,” said Randall Baran-Chong, executive director of Pathfinders for Ukraine.
According to his organization, which surveyed last summer nearly 36,000 holders of the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization (AVUCU), barely 7% of respondents considered themselves eligible for this extended family reunification program. “And if we look at those who need help the most, they are not necessarily people who have family here,” he argued.
Presented just a month ago by Ontario Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi, a petition asks Justin Trudeau to offer Ukrainian nationals a simplified path to permanent residence “which would be aimed at those who do not benefit from the reunification process family announced on October 23, 2023.
Arriving with her husband and three children in May 2022, Helena Lobiak has no family here. “I met a man from Quebec on Facebook and he convinced me to come, that we would be safe,” she said. “Canada is very far from Europe, but that’s what we wanted. Anyway, I don’t have any relatives in Ukraine and my husband’s parents don’t want to leave their house. »
If we look at those who need help the most, they are not necessarily people who have family here.
Arriving in Quebec at the same time, Tatiana Banchenko, her husband and one of her two sons – the eldest is finishing his studies in Poland – also have no family in Canada. From Donbass, a region seriously affected by the conflict, they chose to go to Gatineau, to meet up with old friends they had known for 20 years. “We didn’t look into immigration programs, we just wanted to get as far away from the war as possible and fly to a place where we would have friends and support,” she explains in writing to Duty.
No “easy” path
As the open work permits granted to them by AVUCU expire in a year, the two women, who wish to start a new life here, are worried. Tatiana Banchenko’s license is valid until April 2025. “In February this year, I applied for an extension, but no decision has been made yet,” she says.
According to immigration consultant Marina Negrivoda, if you don’t have relatives in Canada, several paths lead to permanent residence. But none of them are “easy”.
“I am often asked which province or program makes it easy and quick to obtain residency. Some are ready to go anywhere, she notes. I’m not going to advise people to change provinces. We need to analyze their profile. »
She says she has had clients who had difficulty in French and who made the decision to go to New Brunswick. “There, English is accepted, and it is not necessary to have a qualified job. » Elsewhere in Canada, “economical” paths to permanent residence have fewer requirements, particularly in terms of language.
Because the main challenge for Ukrainians who want to stay in Quebec is the language, she says. “Some people think that taking French courses will make them eligible for permanent residence, but that is not enough. »
To be eligible for the “worker” component of the Quebec Experience Program, for example, you must have held a qualified job for 24 months, in addition to passing level 7 (B2). The Regular Skilled Worker Program, a reform of which was recently announced, now requires a certain level of French, and it is not open to all professions.
Uncertainties
After a year and a half of French studies, Tatiana Banchenko completed level 7 in French and has just started a secretarial course. But she hasn’t held a skilled job, nor has her husband, who works in construction and as a pizza delivery boy on weekends. “My husband has a job, but no French, and I have a little French, but no job,” she summarizes. Under these conditions, it is difficult at the moment to qualify for any permanent residency program to stay in Quebec.
However, his “dream” is to live here, where the people “are wonderful” and nature is “magnificent”. Her younger son, who speaks French perfectly and has a network of friends, is troubled by the idea of perhaps having to leave, says Mme Banchenko. “We have nowhere to return to in Ukraine. »
Helena Lobiak also wonders how she will be able to obtain permanent status. After taking full-time French courses and obtaining a level 4, the one who was a teacher in Ukraine now works in a daycare. “I can’t get permanent residency here because I don’t have enough experience yet [dans ce] qualified work, she laments. I hope my work permit will be extended, so I can further improve my French. » “I don’t see an end to this war, so I need to know what will happen with us,” she concluded.