Ukrainian refugees ‘likely to stay’ after Canadian visas expire: report

'I am not ready to grant permanent residency completely to all 300,000 who are here,' says Immigration Minister Marc Miller. 'But it is certain there are people who become Canadians.'

Ukrainian war refugees are likely to stay in Canada permanently, despite receiving temporary residency. The Department of Immigration refuses to send them back “as long as the war continues.”

“We renew work permits, permits to stay, so there is no fear there,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who complained of “limited capacity” to help more foreigners.

Roughly 300,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada, despite approving applications for 962,612 war refugees, reported Blacklock’s. “There is limited capacity.”

“There are a lot of people who want to stay, that’s for sure,” Miller acknowledged last Friday. He could not explain why more refugees had yet to come.

Andrei Zavialov, a Ukrainian Canadian Social Services settlement worker, surveyed 734 emergency visa holders in Toronto last year. Only 40.2% want to stay in Canada permanently, reported CBC News.

Of the respondents, one in 20 would return to Ukraine, while another 5% would go elsewhere in Europe “at the first opportunity.” One in 10 (11.6%) would return to Ukraine after the war, with the rest still undecided.

“I am not ready to grant permanent residency completely to all 300,000 who are here,” said Miller. “But it is certain there are people who become Canadians. They have had children and married Canadians, so you have to show a certain humanity.” 

“They can apply for permanent residency like everyone else.”

Meanwhile, handouts to Ukrainian refugees have cost taxpayers some $753.4 million, records show. Adults receive $3,000 each, while children are owed $1,500 under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

Ukrainians also received free flights to Canada, free accommodation for 14 days, free language training, as well as work and study permits. The total aid bill surpassed $1 billion, according to partial figures released last July 24.

Some 298,128 Ukrainian war refugees were in Canada as of last budget year, reported Blacklock’s.

“The Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel was an unprecedented immigration response which represented the fastest, safest and most efficient way for Ukrainians and their family members to come to Canada,” said the briefing note, Information On Ukrainian Nationals Coming To Canada.

“There was no limit to the number of individuals who could apply,” it said, though Canadians have questioned the viability of ongoing support for quite some time.

Applicants had until last July 31 to come to Canada and claim benefits, though it did not last long for some. They have until March 31, 2025 to access free settlement services.

“A few [also] shared the opinion Canada had become too closely involved in geopolitical conflicts such as those in Eastern Europe,” wrote researchers.  

The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated more than 6.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine since February 2022, when Russia invaded the Eastern bloc country.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-01-28 20:51:11 -0500
    Let people immigrate legally or not at all. We do need to keep Ukrainians here while the war rages but it might end soon. This open door policy is costing us a lot. We can’t adopt the whole world. So much needs repairing here as it is.