Ukrainian refugees: Is life in Canada what you thought? We want to hear from you

Since Canada offered to open its doors to an unlimited number of refugees from Ukraine, more than 200,000 Ukrainians have arrived after fleeing the war in their country that began two years ago.

Up to 90,000 more are considering coming to Canada through its emergency visa program before the end of March, pre-arrival surveys by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada suggest.

More than 10,000 civilians had died – including hundreds of children – and more than 19,000 have been injured since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, suggests a recent United Nations report published last month.

In the last two years, Ottawa has issued 936,293 temporary emergency visas to Ukrainians who want to work or study in Canada.

Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and arriving in Canada found that fewer built-in supports were in place to help them compared to other refugees, according to Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven. 

Community members donated clothes and furniture, businesses offered jobs and some even opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees, according to the organization formed to handle communications between governments and agencies helping Ukrainians settle in Canada.

However, support for Ukrainians has waned and the settlement sector faces challenges in addressing their needs, according to the group.

Are you a Ukrainian who moved to Canada as a refugee? How are you finding life in Canada? CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.

Do you have plans to return to Ukraine or would you prefer to stay in Canada?

What do you wish you knew before you moved here?

For Canadian citizens, how are your Ukrainian family members finding Canada's program for refugees?

Share your story by emailing us at [e-mail] with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.

With files from The Canadian Press