On February 27, 2025, the government made an important announcement. It extended the deadline for those who hold a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) and arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024.
Now, they can apply for a new open work permit, extend their existing open work permit, or apply for a new study permit. These applications, which need to pay the standard government fees, can be submitted until March 31, 2026.
Back on March 30, 2022, the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced new immigration streams for Ukrainians. This was in response to the situation in Ukraine. There were two main options: temporary and permanent.
For the temporary option, the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel was introduced. It was expected to open by mid-March 2022. This was for people fleeing Ukraine and wanting to enter Canada temporarily. It waived many regular visa requirements, though background checks and security screening were still needed. People could stay for at least two years. Also, Ukrainian visitors, workers, and students in Canada, as well as new entrants, who couldn’t safely return home, were eligible for an “open work permit”. And IRCC deferred certain removal proceedings for foreign nationals to Ukraine.
The permanent option was a family reunification permanent residence pathway. It was expected to open by the end of March 2022 for immediate and some extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. More details about these programs were to be released in mid-to-late March 2022 as the Canadian government worked with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and other stakeholders.
On March 17, 2022, IRCC implemented the CUAET. This program gave several benefits to Ukrainian nationals and their eligible family members. Eligible people could apply for a free multiple-entry visitor visa to stay in Canada for up to three years (usually, regular visitors can only stay for six months). They could also apply for a free open work permit with their visa application. This allowed them to work for any employer in Canada and it could be renewed. They could also apply for a free study permit. Applications under CUAET (which were electronic) would be processed within 14 days for standard, non-complex cases, much faster than the usual processing time. Applicants didn’t need to do an immigration medical exam outside Canada before entry, but they might need to do medical diagnostic tests for communicable diseases within 90 days of arrival. Eligible dependents included a spouse, common-law partner, and dependent children. But CUAET applicants still had to go through background checks and security screening.
On March 30, 2022, there was another update. Ukrainian citizens between the ages of 14 to 17, those over the age of 60, and those with proof that they previously held a Canadian visa and didn’t violate its terms, no longer had to submit their biometrics at a Visa Application Center overseas before entering Canada. They could submit them after arrival. Usually, applicants for visitor visas, work or study permits have to submit biometrics before entering Canada.
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