May 28, 2024
Canada extends emergency travel program for Ukrainians fleeing war | CBC News

Canada extends emergency travel program for Ukrainians fleeing war | CBC News

The federal government is extending a program that temporarily resettles Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia in Canada.

Ukrainians will now have until July 15, 2023 to apply to the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

It’s a special measure that allows Ukrainians, and their family members of any nationality, to settle in Canada for up to three years. CUAET allows successful applicants to apply for work and study permits free of charge.

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since 2014, but Russia stepped up its invasion significantly in February 2022. The federal government has provided military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has slapped sanctions on thousands of Russians and Russian entities.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser made the announcement Wednesday.

“We’re going to closely monitor the ongoing needs of Ukrainians and Ukraine, to see how we can continue to lend our support and help win this war,” Fraser told a news conference.

The government has received just under a million applications to the program since it began in March 2022, and has approved 616,429 of them.

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