NEW PATH WAY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR UKRAINIANS

-New Program introduced will be in effect until October, 2024.

In Response to the continued crises caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Government of Canada has launched a new pathway to permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals. The pathway is intended to keep families together. It provides a pathway for Ukrainian nationals to establish themselves in Canada with the support of their family.

The program is an outgrowth of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel or CUAET. The CUAET had provided a fast-track for Ukrainian citizens fleeing conflict, providing eligible Ukrainians with a visitor visa and a temporary work permit. The CUAET program stopped accepting applications on July 15, 2023, after having accepted 185,000 Ukrainians. The new immigration pathway announced on October 23, 2023, aims to provide Ukrainians who came into the country under a visitor visa, with an opportunity to obtain permanent residence status.

It is important to note that the program for permanent residence will ONLY remain open to applicants until October 22, 2024.

There are two categories of family members who are eligible to apply for permanent residence under the program. The first category allows Ukrainian nationals who are family members of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to apply. The second category allows for the sponsorship of a Ukrainian national whose spouse or partner is unable to leave Ukraine. Applicants under this category cannot have remarried or be in a common law partnership with another person since having left Ukraine.

Under both categories, both the applicant and the sponsor must be admissible. The only noted exception to admissibility under this immigration stream is for financial reasons. Under this immigration stream, the sponsor will not be required to sign a financial undertaking. However, both categories further require that the applicant and sponsor reside in Canada and that they share one of the relationships described below.

Sponsors must be a family member with status as a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. A sponsor can be a spouse or common-law partner, a child regardless of age, a grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling or half-sibling.

Family members who are eligible to be included in your application can include spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children. Dependent children are either under 22 years of age, who do not have a spouse or partner, or are dependent children who are over 22 years of age, and who have depended on you financially since before they were 22. The dependent over 22 years of age, must be unable to support themselves financially because of a mental or physical condition. Grandchildren who are a dependent child of your or your spouse or partner’s dependent child are also eligible.

Eligible family members who are included in your application can reside outside of Canada. It is only the applicant who is required to be in Canada throughout the application process.  Ukrainian nationals interested in applying are encouraged to check their eligibility with counsel and are reminded that the window for applications will be closed October 22, 2024.