(Montreal) Inna Gonchukova never expected to live in Canada. But nearly two years after fleeing war-torn Ukraine, she says she’s pretty much gotten used to life in Granby, in Estrie, although she looks forward to one day returning to her home country and to find her husband who stayed behind.
“My husband has his war and I have my own war here, because I have to give my children the best future,” Ms.me Gonchukova during a telephone interview on Saturday.
However, she says the future is uncertain. She plans to stay in Quebec and has even taken French classes, but she doesn’t know if she will have time to further develop her language skills and prepare for the exam she will have to take to demonstrate her French proficiency , a requirement for many of the province’s immigration programs.
It is not so easy. You have to prepare and you have to have time. As a single mother of two, and I work a lot, it’s hard to prepare, hard to find the time.
Inna Gonchukova
Mme Gonchukova is one of the Ukrainians displaced to Quebec who are not sure they can meet the French requirements. Like many Ukrainians, she arrived in Canada through a federal program that allows her to stay and work in the country for three years, called the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization.
Beneficiaries have until the end of March to request an extension of their temporary resident status.
However, immigration lawyer Nataliya Dzera says that even with an extension, it will be difficult for some members of the community to reach the level of French proficiency often necessary to immigrate to Quebec.
Mme Dzera works with Ukrainians displaced by war and says many arrived in Quebec with little or no French skills because they never expected to live in the province. Two years later, however, French has become key for some people seeking to settle more permanently in what was once a temporary refuge.
“But it’s not going to be easy and not everyone will be able to do it,” Ms.me Dzera, about Ukrainians trying to learn French while supporting their families and meeting other job demands.
An update to Quebec’s immigration policy last year made French proficiency mandatory for all major economic immigration programs and eliminated the ability for some people to immigrate without taking a language exam. French, explained Mme Dzera.
Other immigration streams, such as humanitarian and family reunification programs, are more limited in scope and likely inaccessible to many Ukrainians, she added.
Mme Gonchukova says she could seek sponsorship from her employer, or even return to Europe and apply for permanent residency outside of Canada.
Tetiana Iriohlu is another displaced Ukrainian who says her life was turned upside down when the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022. She and her two daughters eventually settled in Longueuil, and she hopes to stay there. Mme Iriohlu has also taken French classes and plans to apply for permanent residency. She indicates that she has already passed an oral expression section of the required French test and that she is preparing for a second oral comprehension exam.
She is confident in her success and says she has benefited from the support of the Ukrainian and Quebec communities. Others don’t have this privilege, she pointed out.
“Many single mothers who came with children knew neither English nor French,” she said. And they take low-skilled jobs, which significantly limits their ability to apply for permanent residency, and they still have to learn French. This mission is extremely difficult. »