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Some Ukrainian newcomers in Canada seek to stay permanently as war drags on

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Since the war in Ukraine began, thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the violence have arrived in Canada through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET).

This program only allows these Ukrainian newcomers to stay in Canada on a temporary basis for up to three years. But as they settle into life in Canada and the war back home drags on, those who wish to stay permanently currently have very few options.

"A lot of them are not too sure what awaits them. So as all of us know, the work on is ongoing in Ukraine and we don't really see an end in sight. And a lot of them don't know what they're going to go back to," Toronto-based immigration lawyer Ksenia Tchern told CTV's Your Morning on Wednesday.

As Tchern's Ukrainian clients are settling into life in Canada, taking up jobs and enrolling their kids in schools, she said many of them are seeking ways to remain in Canada permanently.

"They're getting accustomed to the new Canadian way of life and they're making friends," she said. "They're becoming involved in the community. They're volunteering, and ultimately, they're seeking pathways where they can continue living that life and creating a better life for them and their families in the future."

Since the Ukrainian newcomers fleeing the war are technically not considered refugees, as they're on temporary work or study permits, those wishing to stay in Canada would have to apply for permanent residence through a non-refugee immigration stream, such as under humanitarian and compassionate consideration or one of the economic classes.

"The pathway (to permanent residence) is quite difficult. So you know, we're trying to see if Ottawa could create a special program, which would help Ukrainian nationals transition to permanent residence," Tchern said.

As of December, there have been 755,784 applications for CUAET. Of these, 474,473 have been approved and 137,797 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada.

So far, the federal government has only promised a pathway to permanent residence for Ukrainians with family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Back in March, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada promised to "quickly implement" this pathway, with details arriving "in the coming weeks."

But as of January, no further details have been announced by the feds. In November, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser told a House of Commons committee the government hadn't gotten around to it because its focus had been "getting people here more quickly."

"We still intend to develop a family reunification pathway for Ukrainians and potentially look at other ways to transition those towards permanent residency through the existing mechanisms should they wish to stay," Fraser said.

A spokesperson for IRCC also said the department is "continuing to assess how our immigration programs can best support Ukrainian nationals now and in the future, including potential new pathways to permanent residence."

"In the meantime, Ukrainians wishing to immigrate to Canada permanently can apply for permanent residence under a variety of different immigration programs and streams, found on IRCC’s webpage," IRCC communications advisor Sofica Lukianenko said in an email statement to CTVNews.ca Wednesday evening.

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