Petition to the Prime Minister of Canada
WHEREAS:
Canada has demonstrated goodwill by allowing over 210,000 war-displaced Ukrainians to seek refuge in Canada under the CanadaUkraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, an initiative adopted on March 17, 2022 in response to the full-scale and unlawful invasion of Ukraine in February 2022;
Multiple surveys of CUAET holders living in Canada indicated that the vast majority (>90%) intend to apply for permanent residence, despite challenges with the capacity of federal and provincial economic class PR streams;
The October 23, 2023 permanent residence program for CUAET-holders with Canadian citizen and resident immediate family members is estimated to benefit few (<10%) who have re-settled in Canada after 2022;
Lack of a specialized PR program will lead Ukrainians to apply to programs unbefitting them, resulting in significant costs, potential further displacements, and adding to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada's backlog;
These Ukrainians have integrated into Canadian society, with many the vast majority (>75%) having found long-term housing and employment, while nearly half are sending children to school in hopes for a better future in Canada;
and
Uncertainty in their future prospects and delays in implementing a PR pathway will cause anxiety for war-displaced Ukrainians; lack of permanent status in Canada will force them to incur financial costs, undermine their economic success, slow their integration in Canada and, therefore, impedes their ability to fully contribute to the Canadian economy.
THEREFORE, we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Prime Minister of Canada to provide Ukrainian nationals displaced to Canada in the aftermath of February 1, 2014's onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war, a streamlined pathway to permanent residence, which would address those who are not beneficiaries of the family reunification pathway announced on October 23, 2023.
