Sponsorship for Ukrainians will be open for applications on October 23, 2023
Sponsorship for Ukrainians is a new immigration program scheduled to open on October 23, 2023. Since February 2022, Canada has been offering free temporary resident visas, open work permits and study permits for Ukrainians. As of July 15, 2023, over 166,800 Ukrainians citizens and their family members of other nationalities have arrived in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET). Approximately 793,804 applications have been approved and over 300,000 applications are still pending decision. Potentially, approximately 950,000 more Ukrainians can still come to Canada as temporary residents until March 31, 2024, the date the CUAET program expires.
On July 15, 2023, the Government of Canada has introduced a new sponsorship immigration program for those Ukrainians and their family members who wish to stay in Canada permanently. The Sponsorship for Ukrainians program will start accepting applications for permanent residence on October 23, 2023.
At this point, the Government of Canada has not yet announced all the details of the program. What we know so far is that Canadian sponsors will not be required to sign any financial undertakings and that the Sponsorship for Ukrainians will accept applications only until October 22, 2024. The Government of Canada has also been silent as to how many applications will be accepted from October 2023 to October 2024. However, the Immigration Department has already promised that the new program will not affect the number of spaces allocated to the Parents and Grandparents Program.
The only announced parameters of the new Sponsorship for Ukrainians program are the following:
- Citizens of Ukraine and their family members who wish to apply under this program must:
- reside in Canada, and
- have a valid temporary resident status.
- They must have an eligible relative residing in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
- Eligible relatives include:
- spouses,
- common-law partners,
- parents,
- grandparents,
- brothers,
- sisters,
- children,
- grandchildren.
Additional information will be published in the coming months before the Sponsorship for Ukrainians program is open for applications in October 2023.
If you are a Ukrainian citizen and have a valid CUAET visa, you can travel to Canada before March 31, 2024, in order to utilize temporary special measures. If, however, you haven’t had a chance to apply for the CUAET visa before July 15, 2023, you and your family members can still apply for a regular temporary resident visa to come to Canada. Please note that applications submitted after July 15, 2023, will be subject to fees and general requirements. If you did apply before July 15, 2023, your application will be processed under the CUAET rules.
When you are in Canada, you will be eligible to apply for a three year study and open work permits on a priority basis. Application processing fees for an open work permit or a study permit will be waived for CUAET visa holders inside Canada if they submit their status extension applications before March 31, 2024. Additionally, you will also have access to various settlement services offered by the Government of Canada, such as language training and employment services.
For more detailed information about CUAET and eligibility requirements for the Sponsorship for Ukrainians program, please feel free to contact our office or complete our online assessment questionnaire: On-line Assessment Questionnaire.
