Ukrainians' Pathway to Canada Needs to be Easier

It’s been two months since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Reports of the horror that is unfolding in many instances are justifiably being called war crimes, such as mass civilian graves found in Bucha, rape, and other forms of sexual violence being perpetrated. It is completely understandable that many Ukrainians are fleeing their home country in the face of Russian aggression that threatens their safety and security. As the home to the largest population of Ukrainians outside of Ukraine itself, many refugees are looking to Canada as a place to settle, but inaction from the Federal government and some questionable decision-making has made the opportunity to settle here harder than it needs to be.

Over 5 million Ukrainians have left the country since the Russian invasion began. The majority (3 million) have temporarily fled to Poland, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a massive diaspora by any account. But Poland is unable to absorb the massive influx of refugees on their own. Krakow, for example, has seen their population increase by 20% in the past two months alone.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s own numbers, over 100,000 Ukrainians who have applied for Canadian visas are still awaiting approval, with only about 1/3^rd (56,633 of 163,747 applicants) approved as of April 19^th. For months, New Democrats have called on the government to remove those barriers that Ukrainian refugees are facing by eliminating the visa requirement so that Ukrainians who want to come to Canada can do so as quickly and easily as possible.

The challenges that Ukrainian refugees face extend well beyond visa requirements and relate to how they are actually classified. While the government acknowledges that the situation in Ukraine does amount to a humanitarian crisis, they have not classified Ukrainians leaving their nation as refugees, but rather as displaced Ukrainians. Therefore, most apply to come to Canada under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) program, meaning they can come to Canada and obtain a work permit for up to three years as temporary residents.

This has a significant impact on the services available to them. For example, when they arrive, they must abide by any waiting periods that are in effect to receive medical services applicable to the province they are settled in, whereas refugee claimants are covered under a federal health program. While some provinces have waived the waiting period, it creates a system that will be both confusing for those arriving and will provide an inconsistent level of service that may provide health coverage to some Ukrainians settled in Canada, but not to others.

There are many other examples of services that will not be available to Ukrainians here in Canada. Under the current program, they will only receive two weeks of temporary hotel accommodation and up to six weeks of income support, which is in stark contrast to services provided to refugees, which allows up to one year of income and housing support under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP). The RAP program delivers this assistance only if a refugee requires income support and does not apply in instances of private sponsorship. Further, programs that will assist refugees settle, such as language programs, are limited.

Add to this the actual costs of flights. The government has started the Ukraine2Canada Travel Fund, which allows Canadians to donate frequent flyer miles to fund air travel for Ukrainians fleeing their homeland. Air Canada (which, to be clear, owns and operates the Aeroplan loyalty program) will donate 100,000 Aeroplan miles, but the government will not match donations. The government has stated that they will charter some flights, but there are still unnecessary hurdles that make it more complicated to actually get Ukrainians to Canada at a time when they need our support the most.

As it stands, Ukrainians fleeing war have an uphill battle to be able to actually reach Canada. To get here, they must apply for a visa through a complicated system that may feature significant language barriers. Once here, they must rely almost entirely on local nonprofits to help build their new life away from war. It is evident that there needs to be an easier, a more streamlined pathway of information for those wishing to come to Canada, and for those Canadians who have opened their hearts to help Ukrainians.