Ukrainians push for permanent residency in Canada as war with Russia grinds on

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Immigration Minister Lena Diab has acknowledged many of these visa holders are no longer here temporarily — but the government has no concrete solution yet to their plight.

Now, her government is under new pressure to open a permanent residency pathway for the nearly 300,000 Ukrainians like Kryshtanovych who came to Canada through the emergency visa program.

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Launched in 2022, the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel, or CUAET, offered a three-year work or study permit to people fleeing the war.

With the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion fast approaching, many Ukrainians face limited options for seeking permanent residency.

Diab told The Canadian Press in January the government is aware some people on CUAET visas are here to stay.

“We now know it’s not temporary. They’ve been here for X number of years, and for the most part, people are working, they’re building a life, you know, they have children and so on. So I understand that,” she said.

“What I’ve been able to do so far as the minister is extend their status in Canada, whether it’s work or study, while we figure out what to do.”

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Ontario Liberal MP Yvan Baker has sponsored a parliamentary petition calling for a temporary permanent residency pathway for CUAET visa holders. That petition has gathered just over 45,000 signatures and is scheduled to close on Thursday.

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine will enter its fourth year later this month, followed shortly after by the 12th anniversary of Russia annexing the Crimean peninsula.

The longer the war stretches on, the harder it is for [Ukrainian refugess like Roksolana] Kryshtanovych to envision a future living outside of Canada.

“I have friends here. I have work here. I see my life here,” she said.

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