Canada expands services in Europe for Ukrainians fleeing war under CUAET
Canada services for ukrainains in Europe
Canada has launched the new Canada Information Centre (CI Centre) in Warsaw, Poland to better support Ukrainians who wish to seek a temporary safe haven here. This announcement by Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser on May 4, 2022, highlights Canada’s ongoing efforts to grow its services in Europe for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war on their country.
Located within the new Canadian Biometric Operations Centre at the Global EXPO Centrum in Warsaw, the CI Centre will offer in-person information services to Ukrainian applicants. It will provide clients with essential information in Ukrainian, English and French on what to expect when coming to Canada, including guidance on pre-and post-arrival services and support.
We launched the new Canada Information Centre, providing key information about ???????? and the supports available to Ukrainians before and after they arrive. It’s part of our new facility, offering up to 2K appointments a day.
ℹ️ https://t.co/nAXOMLkIMD pic.twitter.com/RnzRqv0isY
— Sean Fraser (@SeanFraserMP) May 5, 2022
To further increase biometric enrolment capacity overseas, Canada has opened a second temporary centre in Berlin, Germany, with the aim of collecting up to 1,000 biometric enrolments per day. With the establishment of these two new centres and the additional capacity boost across the visa application centre network, these centres in the European Union can now cater to around 6,600 Ukrainian nationals and their family members who applied to the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET).
Since CUAET was launched in March this year, Canada has approved more than 71,000 applications. It is a temporary residence pathway which provides Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality with the opportunity to stay in Canada as temporarily for up to 3 years. They are also eligible for a free open work permit or study permit, which allows them to take up a job with almost any Canadian employer or enrol in an education program in Canada.
In earlier announcements, the Canadian government highlighted how it is working closely with provinces and territories, the Ukrainian Canadian community and settlement service providers to ensure Ukrainians are welcomed and supported in their new communities. Key services that will be available to all Ukrainians and their dependents as they settle into their new communities include:
- language training
- information on life in Canada, such as enrolling children in school
- information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking and career counselling
- activities that promote connections with communities
- services for women, seniors, youth and LGBTQ2+ individuals
It was also announced earlier that Ukrainians arriving under CUAET will have access to Settlement Program services until March 31, 2023.
A dedicated service channel for Ukraine immigration enquiries is also available for people both in Canada and abroad at 613-321-4243, with collect calls accepted. One can add the keyword “Ukraine2022” to the IRCC crisis web form with their enquiry and it will be prioritized.
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