As the war in Ukraine drags on, more and more Ukrainians will be seeking refugee status in Canada. Park-Extension has always been a welcoming borough for many immigrants and the announcement from the federal minister of Immigration Sean Fraser that Canada is offering temporary federal support to help Ukrainians settle in their new communities is of particular interest.
Settlement Program services, which are typically only available to permanent residents, will soon be extended until March 31, 2023, for temporary residents in Canada eligible under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET). This is an extraordinary temporary measure aimed at supporting Ukrainians arriving under this special, accelerated temporary residence pathway. Key services that will be available to Ukrainians as they settle into their new communities include language training, information about and orientation to life in Canada, such as help with enrolling children in school, information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking, counselling, skills development and training, activities that promote connections with communities, assessments of other needs Ukrainians may have and referrals to appropriate agencies, services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQ2+ persons as well as other settlement supports available through the Settlement Program
IRCC is exempting certain individuals who are low-risk from providing biometrics on a case-by-case basis at the decision maker’s discretion. Biometrics are currently a requirement before arrival in Canada for the majority of Ukrainian nationals. IRCC relies on biometrics for identity management and to ensure the integrity of Canada’s visa programs. The collection of biometrics is an essential component of the security screening process to protect the safety and security of Canadians and Ukrainian nationals when they arrive on Canadian soil. The easing of biometrics requirements will ensure Ukrainian nationals arrive in Canada as quickly and as safely as possible.
Service Canada is working with service delivery partners to provide Ukrainian newcomers with information about Government of Canada programs and services, in particular the social insurance number (SIN), including through SIN clinics delivered at convenient locations. To help connect Ukrainian newcomers with available jobs, the government also launched Job Bank’s Jobs for Ukraine webpage, including a fact sheet in Ukrainian, on March 17, 2022. Since its launch, the site has been viewed close to 96,000 times.
Photo: “We will continue to support Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s war, both before and after their arrival in Canada. We know coming to live in a new country, even temporarily, is not easy. As Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we want to ensure Ukrainians have access to the support and key services they need to settle into their new communities across Canada. said Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
