Question Period Note: Ukraine – CUAET Measures until March 31, 2024

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine. Since then, there have been domestic and international movements of the Ukrainian population, including to Canada given our country’s strong Ukrainian-Canadian community.

• Canada continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and is committed to helping Ukrainians and their family members as the war continues.

• On March 3, 2022 special measures were announced for Ukrainians and their family members to seek temporary safe haven in Canada.

• The Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) was introduced to offer Ukrainians and their family members an accelerated temporary residence pathway in Canada, allowing them to work, study or stay in Canada for up to three years.

• Canada received over one million temporary resident applications under these measures and as of April 1, 2024, approved over 990,000 applications.

• Every application received by July 15, 2023, will be processed. CUAET holders had until March 31, 2024, to travel to Canada under the special measures to be eligible for various in-Canada supports.

If pressed:
• CUAET holders who arrived in Canada by March 31, 2024, were eligible for temporary emergency accommodations and transitional financial assistance to help meet their basic needs upon arrival in Canada. Temporary accommodations were offered until April 14, 2024, and the deadline to apply for transitional financial assistance was June 30, 2024.
• CUAET holders who were approved for an open work permit as part of their initial CUAET application, but who did not travel to Canada by March 31, 2024, remain eligible to have their permit issued upon arrival in Canada, provided it remains valid.
• All Ukrainian temporary residents and their family members are eligible for settlement services in Canada until March 31, 2025.

If pressed on valid passports and travel documents:

• Generally, all foreign nationals applying for permanent or temporary residency in Canada are required to provide a valid passport or travel document as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. However, if applicants cannot meet these requirements due to compelling and exceptional circumstances, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may consider their situations on a case-by-case basis.

If pressed on permanent solutions:

• The family reunification pathway to permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals residing in Canada opened in October 2023 and applications were accepted until October 22, 2024. To qualify, Ukrainian nationals must have been in Canada with valid temporary resident status and been an immediate or extended family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Canada.
• Ukrainians who wish to immigrate to Canada permanently can also apply for permanent residence through various immigration programs and streams, including economic pathways and through family sponsorship.

If pressed on other supports:

• The Government of Canada continues to work closely with provincial, territorial, and municipal partners, as well as settlement service providers and the Ukrainian-Canadian community, to welcome Ukrainians and their family members fleeing Russia’s illegal invasion.
• The extension of federally-funded settlement services to these individuals, in provinces and territories outside of Quebec, allows for those fleeing the invasion to fully participate in Canadian communities. These services include activities that promote connections with communities, provide information about life in Canada including how to obtain longer term housing, language training and employment.
• Quebec provided its own settlement services and temporary accommodations to Ukrainians and their family members fleeing the invasion.

If pressed on Budget:
• On March 22, 2023, the federal government announced the extension of the CUAET temporary pathway until July 15, 2023, with supports available to those who arrived in Canada by March 31, 2024.
• To support this extension, the government committed an additional $171.4 million over three years, starting in 2022-23. This amount is in addition to funding previously committed in Budget 2022 and the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which currently totals over $1 billion.

• Canada and Ukraine have enjoyed close bilateral relations since Canada became the first Western nation to recognize Ukraine’s independence on December 2, 1991. Warm people-to-people ties are strengthened by an over 1.3 million strong Ukrainian-Canadian community in Canada.

• On February 24, 2022, Russia escalated its political and military posture by initiating a full-scale military incursion into Ukraine’s sovereign territory. Since this escalation, there have been domestic and international movements of the Ukrainian population, including to Canada given our country’s strong Ukrainian-Canadian community.

• Dedicated service channels (web, e-mail, phone) were activated to provide clients with the most up to date information.

Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET)

• Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, IRCC implemented a series of measures to continue supporting individuals fleeing the war in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian nationals in Canada wishing to extend their stay. The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) was launched on March 17, 2022 and intake closed on July 15, 2023.

• The CUAET was an unprecedented immigration response, which represented the fastest, safest, and most efficient way for Ukrainians and their family members to come to Canada. There was no limit to the number of individuals who could apply.

• While intake for the CUAET closed on July 15, 2023, IRCC will continue to process all applications received up to that date. All CUAET visa holders had until March 31, 2024 to arrive in Canada to receive the associated benefits of temporary accommodations and transitional financial assistance. Settlement services will continue to be available to all Ukrainian temporary residents and their family members until March 31, 2025.

• Ukrainian workers, students and visitors and their family members who are in Canada as CUAET visa holders were eligible to apply until March 31, 2024 to extend their stay, without paying the application fee.

• The deadline for many of the temporary residence immigration measures for Ukrainians and their family members was March 31, 2024. However, some temporary measures have been extended until March 31, 2025 to allow Ukrainians and their family members who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024 under the CUAET measures to apply for a new open work permit valid for up to 3 years, extend an existing open work permit or apply for a new study permit from within Canada. Measures have also been extended for Ukrainians and their family members who applied for a CUAET visa prior to July 15, 2023, but did not receive a final decision on their CUAET application until after February 4, 2024, and therefore had insufficient time to travel to Canada by March 31, 2024. To access these fee-exempt measures, individuals have until December 31, 2024 to arrive in Canada and to apply at a port of entry or from within Canada.

In-Canada Supports

Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI)

• CUAET visa holders who arrived in Canada by March 31, 2024 were eligible to apply for transitional financial assistance until June 30, 2024.

• IRCC made amendments to the Resettlement Assistance Program authorities to be able to deliver the transitional financial assistance, in partnership with Service Canada for service delivery.

• The online application for the transitional financial assistance was launched on June 2, 2022. The benefit consisted of a direct one-time payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child (17 years and under).

• As of September 1, 2024, 296,779 people have been approved for payment under the CUTAI, for a total anticipated payout of $794,758,000.

Settlement Services

• As of August 2024, 161,091 unique Ukrainian and CUAET clients (129,005 CUAET and 32,086 non-CUAET) accessed services provided by service provider organizations funded by IRCC.

• Ukrainians and their family members in Canada with temporary resident status continue to be eligible for these settlement supports until March 31, 2025.
• Key settlement services that are available to CUAET and TRV holders and their families in Canada, include:
o language training
o information about and orientation to life in Canada, such as help with enrolling children in school
o information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking, counselling, skills development and training
o activities that promote connections with communities
o assessments of other needs Ukrainians may have and referrals to appropriate agencies
o services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQI+ persons
o other settlement supports available through the Settlement Program

• Settlement services are provided in provinces and territories outside of Quebec by a national network of over 550 settlement service provider organizations that receive funding from IRCC. Regular settlement services offered by Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) are available to all CUAET holders with a work permit.

• The Government of Canada is also actively working with provinces, territories and settlement organizations across the country to support Ukrainians arriving in Canadian communities.

• Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven (OUSH), which was funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, was a national coordination initiative linking key stakeholders involved with supporting Ukrainians coming to Canada. OUSH served as a platform for information exchange and helped ensure coordination and complementarity in actions.

• After CUAET intake ended on July 15, 2023, Ukrainians and their family members could still apply for a regular temporary resident visa to come to Canada.
• CUAET visa holders had until March 31, 2024 to arrive in Canada and be eligible for in-Canada supports, such as temporary accommodations of up to 14 nights, and transitional financial assistance (Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative - CUTAI).
• These measures have now ended. Ukrainians and their family members who had their CUAET visa issued prior to February 4, 2024, and who arrive in Canada as of April 1, 2024 do not receive inland facilitation, nor do they have access to federally-funded temporary accommodations or transitional financial assistance.
• Settlement services, such as language training and orientation services, are available to all Ukrainian nationals and their family members in Canada with temporary resident status until March 31, 2025.