CUAET — program for emergency immigration to Canada

A country that undoubtedly supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine – Canada.

After the military escalation began, on February 27, 2022 the Canadian authorities announced the start of work on a program to provide temporary housing. Two weeks were allocated to develop the program, and by March 17 the details were known and applications began to be accepted.

Canada-Ukraine authorization for entry

The program’s name CUAET – “Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel”. In this article we will discuss in detail how it works, the application procedure, all necessary details and what awaits a program participant upon arrival.

Is the program right for you?

As it turned out, it’s far from being for everyone.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ministry developed an action plan to simplify obtaining a work permit in the country and a residence permit. Over time, it is possible to obtain citizenship.

Despite all the advantages, funding is not provided here.

Payment for travel (ground transport + airfare), housing rent (prices are not always affordable) and medical services (they are provided free under insurance) is entirely on you.

In fact, all the benefits provided by the program are exactly the same as those of a Canadian work visa.

The only difference is the main requirement: to have Ukrainian citizenship. Extremely simplified conditions and the shortest processing times.

The program is suitable for you if:

1. You have long wanted and were ready to emigrate.
2. You are fluent in English or French.
3. You have a financial cushion in foreign currency (about $30,000 for a family of 3).
4. You have relatives or close friends here who can help with housing or adaptation for the first period.
5. You have work experience abroad and have gone through the stages of adapting to life in another environment: dealing with finding housing and arranging everyday life.
6. You are already in the country on a work, study or tourist visa.

In one of the statements by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada it was stated that CUAET is a temporary residence program, not a refugee program.

You better not take part in CUAET if:

• You are a refugee and left with nothing. You have neither financial savings nor property and are in urgent need of social assistance. Good news: it exists; the payment amounts to $3,000 for 1.5 months. It’s enough for the initial period, but what then? The money will run out; you should think about subsequent earnings.
• They will not greet you with open arms at the airport, ready to immediately put you in a hotel for an extended time. The maximum placement period for Ukrainian refugees is 2 weeks. Most interested people have already dealt with the problem of finding housing – on themed forums they ask to recommend a neighborhood or help with finding and renting an apartment.
• You do not know the language. If your level of English or French is low and cannot ensure full communication in Canada – it is better to choose another country for temporary residence or immigration (A translator is provided when working with the Red Cross at airports and by phone (in addition, free psychologist services).
• Men who do not fall into any exemption category. You will not be able to use even existing Canadian documents while the restrictions are in effect.

Benefits provided by CUAET

• Stay in the country for up to 3 years;
• Free entry and exit for 10 years or until the passport expires;
• Applications to participate in the program without a foreign passport are considered on an individual basis;
• Shortest processing time – no more than 2 weeks;
• Having plane tickets is not required before visa issuance;
• Open work permit — applications are submitted without additional fees;
• Provision of one of three statuses: student, worker, tourist.
• Medical examination prior to arrival is not mandatory;
• They will provide all necessary information and a list of actions to take during the first weeks in the country: obtaining an insurance number, information on specifics of employment.

There has never been an easier time to get into Canada than now.

What is required to participate in the program?

• Having Ukrainian citizenship or being a family member of a Ukrainian (spouses and dependent children);
• Originals and translations of documents proving relation to a Ukrainian family member: birth certificate, marriage registration document;
• There is a possibility of providing biometrics.

Fingerprints and photos are submitted at a specialized center. Who has to provide biometrics? All persons aged 18 to 60. Those who have previously completed this process do not need to do it again.

Applying for CUAET

You can apply for the CUAET program from any country where Canada has a consular presence. You can also arrange it while already in Canada on a tourist visa. It is most difficult to apply from Ukraine right now because visa centers there are closed.

If you are already in the country on a study or visitor visa, you will need to cross the border again to process and establish the new status.

Those who reacted quickly received an open work permit valid for up to 3 years under CUAET at the Canadian border with the USA without crossing the border. But the requirements changed: departure and entry must be carried out as required.

At the border checkpoint they do not bombard you with questions, and, as forum users claim, they ask you to undergo a medical check but do not thoroughly inspect it. An important condition for an open work permit is not to be a healthcare worker or work with children.

Instructions from IRRC:

1. Register on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website. You will be sent a unique invitation code with a registration link to your email.
2. Proceed to fill out the registration form, entering the data you received earlier.
3. When you log into your account the following page should be displayed.
4. Start filling it out by clicking on «Apply for a visitor visa, transit visa, or a study permit».
5. In “Application for a visitor visa, transit visa, or a study permit” indicate whether you need a work permit in Canada.
6. Everything else is intuitively clear.
7. UCI is a permanent unique number that you may have been issued if you previously applied for any visa or program in Canada. If you do not have it – skip filling in the field.
8. Traveling with family? Create a group.
9. Create a separate application for each family member.

You need to indicate:

• Personal and passport details;
• If you do not have a foreign passport – indicate any valid one-time document: refugee ID, UN, Red Cross documents, etc.;
• Provide addresses for the previous 5 years where you lived for more than six months;
• When you provided biometric data;
• Your education;
• Which of the official languages you know and which you prefer to use for communication;
• Which countries you have visited in the last 5 years;
• Criminal convictions or membership in political parties;
• Presence of such diseases in medical history: tuberculosis, drug addictions, mental disorders;
• Employment history for 10 years; if you do not see your exact specialty, look for a similar one by list of competencies;
• If you were unemployed for a certain period, indicate “unemployed”, as there should be no gaps in the history;
• Whether you previously had any problems obtaining a visa or stayed in a country after the document expired (describe in detail);
• Upload photos of the documents.

Approach the application filling process extremely responsibly. You may not have the opportunity to apply again. Moreover, there is a possibility of refusal for the following reasons.

Do not be lazy to recall all the details about previous places of employment, pull related documents from the archive. Higher education diplomas are no less important. Take care to ensure a positive outcome for your application.

There are also optional documents in the form:

• Invitation letter from the Canadian side;
• Documents that confirm the financial ability to support you;
• Documents from the tax authorities;
• Verification of student status;

When you finish filling out the form – confirm and submit the application for processing.

Applicants should take into account that visa centers in Ukraine are not operating at present. Therefore, to complete the application submission, you need to visit the nearest office outside the country. Immigration lawyers recommend applying for simplified entry without undergoing biometrics.

If you have difficulties filling out the application, you can find instructions in Ukrainian or Russian available publicly. Given the simplicity of the form, consider: is your language proficiency sufficient to successfully integrate into a new environment?

Application processing time:

The government allocates about two weeks from the date of submission for the entire process. Upon successful completion you will receive an invitation to submit biometrics or a request to mail your passport.