Although the Legault government has pledged to take part in welcoming Ukrainians, the first nationals of this country at war will not be able to set foot on Quebec soil tomorrow, let alone claim that they will live there permanently. Inspired by the federal government, which has jurisdiction over family reunification, Quebec’s “special humanitarian program” is at the mercy of the delays of programs in Ottawa, which will not be set up for several weeks, even months, observe the actors in the environment.
Family reunification is a federal jurisdiction, but Quebec can decide to develop a program through which it selects candidates with its own criteria. Will the special Quebec program look like what was set up for Haitians after the 2010 earthquake? “The terms of the special humanitarian program for family reunification are to be determined in collaboration with the federal government”, explains Maude Méthot-Faniel, press attaché to the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Jean Boulet, refusing any comparison. “Announcements will be made shortly. »
But long before they can gain permanent residency, Ukrainians will be able to come to the country with a “Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization,” which will allow them to stay in the country for two years on a visitor’s visa or permit. open work. This approach promised by Ottawa for mid-March should be compared to “filling out a simple form”, even if certain steps difficult to carry out in a context of war, such as taking biometric data, remain mandatory.
Quebec could then receive its share of nationals – and not “refugees”, because Ukrainians who flee their country are not “refugees” within the meaning of the Geneva Convention, as immigration lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard reminded us. on their Facebook profile — who, in addition to their temporary status, would benefit from measures facilitating their reception, such as access to free health care and enrollment in school and CPE. “It’s the red carpet with access to all the services that will be rolled out to them, and the federal government will do the same thing,” says Stephan Reichhold, of the Round Table of Organizations Serving Refugees and Immigrants. Host organizations in the field say they are ready, but expect delays. “We do not expect an arrival very soon,” he adds.
An “unprecedented” decision
Mr. Reichhold nevertheless welcomes this “unprecedented” decision to temporarily welcome immigrants who want to return home or immigrate permanently. “This is truly a turning point in Canadian politics. This is the first time that Canada has allowed people to arrive first,” he said. He recalls that the Haitians and the Afghans had not had this chance.
However, he says he fears that obtaining this temporary status and the work permit will take too long. “It could take a few weeks, maybe months. […] And we know it can take months before[Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada] be able to issue a work permit. »
No quantified target has been set by the Canadian government. Tuesday, during a press briefing, Prime Minister François Legault also did not advance on the number of Ukrainians that Quebec would welcome. “As we did with the Afghans and the Syrians, with the Haitians, we are going to make a special gesture to permanently welcome the Ukrainians. Now, how many, it’s hard to say, because we don’t know how many want to come,” he said.
To this question, the director of the Immigrant Community Support Center, Anait Aleksanian, says she has a “mixed” answer. “There is a large Ukrainian community in Canada, the second after Russia, and that can attract Ukrainians who have family here. But I think most people are going to want to go back home at some point when the situation gets better,” said the ethnic Armenian whose grandmother is Ukrainian. His organization is no less ready to welcome them. ” We are here for that. »
With Marco Belair-Cirino