A non-profit organization that helps Ukrainian newcomers navigate the Canadian immigration system says many people who fled the war want to stay in Canada permanently, but barriers prevent them from starting their journey. new life.
Pathfinders for Ukraine interviewed 922 families who traveled to Canada on a temporary emergency visa.
The group found that 90% of people surveyed in Canada want to obtain permanent residency, but only a third are confident they can obtain it under existing programs.
Although the government offers permanent resident status to people who have Canadian parents, Randall Baran-Chong, the group’s founder, lamented that very few people can take advantage of this measure.
“We found that it was only 7% of people,” he noted.
With some visas set to expire in 18 months, Mr Baran-Chong found the uncertainty weighing heavily on many people’s shoulders.
There are also more practical concerns, including whether employers will want to hire people with time-limited refugee permits.
“They know that the open work permit is only a little longer, so why would they want to offer them a promotion or a better job, or even hire them in the first place? » he worries.
The group warns that without a specific program, the vast majority of people who want to stay in the country will not qualify for immigration programs currently in place, including issues related to language, finances and other constraints.
Give something good
After fleeing the war in Ukraine last year, Stella Vitiuk and Nataliia Vabiak were hired as accountants at a company that offered jobs to a handful of Ukrainian newcomers.
While their colleagues discuss their plans for the weekend, the two ladies instead exchange notes on their efforts to stay in Canada.
Each day brings them closer to the expiration of their emergency visas, while the war in their country shows no signs of abating.
“I am a strong person, but I feel stressed,” admitted Mme Vitiuk. It’s difficult for everyone. »
In the summer of 2022, Mme Vitiuk made the difficult decision to leave her husband and parents to bring her two daughters to Canada. “For the sake of her children,” she now wishes to be able to immigrate permanently to the country.
“I want to offer them something new, something good,” she explained in an interview with The Canadian Press.
As of October 14, nearly 200,000 Ukrainians had come to Canada under an emergency visa program that has been in effect for three years.
This was a unique program that allowed many Ukrainians to come to Canada quickly, but does not offer the same long-term prospects and support as a refugee program or a permanent immigration stream.
Most of the people who have taken advantage of this program are women and children, since men of fighting age are not allowed to leave Ukraine while the country is under martial law.
Some of these people, like Mmy Vitiuk and Vabiak, say it is unlikely they will be eligible for permanent residency if a targeted immigration pathway is not put in place.
“I didn’t prepare, I don’t have a lot of money. I just took $5,000 and came with two children,” Ms.me Vitiuk.
A temporary program
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller recalled that among all the programs offered by his department, the emergency visas granted to Ukrainians fleeing the war were extraordinary, both in their volume and in the extent of the protection offered. ‘they offer.
“But it was always meant to be temporary in nature,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press on November 6.
Mr. Miller assured that the federal government will remain flexible, as the war in Ukraine continues, but that there are diplomatic and geopolitical factors to take into account.
“If I were in a leadership position in Ukraine right now, I would like to see some of my citizens come back to help rebuild Ukraine,” he said. I would not want Canada to stand in the way by creating unintended consequences. »
Nonetheless, Minister Miller acknowledged that he expects Canada must also be sensitive to individual circumstances.
“If someone is here and they have a child, and in practice, they are Canadians, this is a discussion that we will have,” he said, specifying that it is not an issue he is prepared to address “in the short term”.
He acknowledged that this leaves some people in a precarious situation in the meantime, but confirmed that the government has no plans to send anyone back to Ukraine while the war continues to rage.
Living in uncertainty while caring for three teenagers alone is difficult, Ms.me Vabiak, especially since she struggles to find opportunities to improve her English.
She also fears that her husband, who had to stay in Ukraine, will be called to the front.
“If he goes, I don’t even know if he’ll survive.” It’s really stressful. »
With no guarantees about her future, for now she plans to focus on what she can do for her children.
“Sometimes we cry, but we have to be strong,” said M.me Vabiak. I do not have a choice. I have children, I have to think of them. That’s why I’m here. »