Ukrainians in Canada will be able to apply for open work permits

Ukrainians in Canada will be able to apply for open work permits according to the Backgrounder published on February 26, 2022 by Immigration Canada. The Government of Canada has also declared that it will be implementing special measures to support people residing in Ukraine.

At the time of this publication, no specific instructions have been provided regarding the above measures. What is known at the moment is that the following applications will be prioritized:

1. Applications for new and replacement travel documents for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members.
2. Citizenship grant applications for adoptions.
3. PR applications for people who are currently residing in Ukraine (or who have their primary address in Ukraine) as well as for those who apply to be reunited with their family in Canada.
4. Temporary residence applications for people who have their primary address in Ukraine and who wish to study or work in Canada.
5. Status extension applications for Ukrainian citizens who are currently in Canada as visitors, students and workers.
6. Applications for travel documents for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who do not have valid passports.
7. Applications for permanent residents of Canada who don’t have a valid PR card and who need to apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to travel back to Canada.
8. Applications for work permits from those who are in Canada as temporary residents and who have a job offer, i.e. employer specific work permits. Under this extended public policy, applicants can start working as soon as their applicants have been submitted to the appropriate immigration processing centre.

Additionally, CBSA has temporarily stopped removing inadmissible people to Ukraine.

However, the most interesting statement in the Backgrounder is:

“IRCC will issue open work permits to Ukrainian visitors, workers and students who are currently in Canada and cannot go home.”

We are now waiting for further instructions from the Government of Canada as to who may benefit under this public policy and how the process will look like. What we know is that the Immigration Department has waived processing fees for permanent resident travel documents (PRTD), application for Canadian citizenship, visitor, and work and student visas. We hope that more details will be available in the coming days.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has published an interview with the Minister of Immigration. Among other things, the Minister has confirmed that the Immigration Department is trying to expedite applications from Ukrainians displaced by the war. In particular, more immigration officers have been assigned to the processing centres in Poland, Austria and Romania.

CTV News quotes the Minister of Immigration saying on February 28 that he will announce further action to address the crisis in the days to come. Some Members of Parliament are urging the Government to cancel visa requirements for Ukrainians, but the Government has not yet responded.

In addition to expediting processing for Ukrainians, the Immigration Department has established a hot line:

• Telephone: 613-321-4243
• E-mail: sos@international.gc.ca
• SMS: +1 613-686-3658
• WhatsApp: 613-909-8881

If you need to submit additional documents to your pending application, you should add the keyword “Ukraine2022” to the IRCC Web form .

Any further updates are expected to be published at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/ukraine-measures.html

For more detailed information on these special measures for Ukrainian citizens, please feel free to contact our office or complete our online assessment questionnaire:  On-line Assessment Questionnaire