The Canadian government has extended the application deadline for work permits for Ukrainians who arrived in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) before the end of March this year.
The application deadline has been extended into 2025, giving those who fled the conflict more time to secure employment opportunities in Canada.
However, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that the application fee for these work permits, valid for up to three years, will no longer be waived for Ukrainian temporary residents. This marks a shift in the program, which initially offered free open work and study permits to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
The CUAET pathway was introduced in mid-March 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Canada quickly opened its doors to Ukrainians seeking refuge, with 1,189,320 applications received under the program. As of April 1, 2024, 962,612 applications—approximately 80.94 percent—were approved, resulting in 298,128 Ukrainians arriving in Canada.
The CUAET program was designed to allow Ukrainians fleeing the conflict to stay in Canada for up to three years, with access to free work and study permits. In response to the application surge, Ottawa increased its immigration processing capacity in Europe. It deployed mobile biometrics kits to cities such as Warsaw, Vienna, and Bucharest to ensure proper security measures were in place.
In addition to work permits, Canada offered settlement services, including language training, orientation, and employment assistance to help Ukrainians integrate into their new communities. Ukrainians were also provided transitional financial aid—$3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child—to help them settle in Canada.
While these settlement services will remain available to all Ukrainian temporary residents and their dependents until March 31, next year, the one-time financial assistance and emergency temporary accommodations will no longer be available to CUAET holders who arrived after March 31, 2024.
Canada has also introduced a permanent residence pathway for qualifying Ukrainian nationals, offering two categories of family members the opportunity to apply for permanent residence under this program.
The post Ottawa Eases Work Permit Rules for Ukrainians Who Arrived Through CUAET appeared first on CI News | Latest Canada Immigration News.
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