Facilitated access to renewals of open work permits for Ukrainians and their family members in Canada who were facilitated under previous public policies
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
These instructions apply to IRCC employees. Given that applicants cannot submit their applications at a port of entry, the instructions do not apply to border services officers.
The instructions on this page should be reviewed in conjunction with the following:
These instructions provide operational guidance related to the temporary public policy to facilitate extensions of open work permits for Ukrainians and their family members in Canada who were facilitated under previous public policies.
The temporary public policy continues to provide facilitated access to work permit renewals from within Canada for certain Ukrainian nationals and their family members who hold a work permit issued based on exemptions under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) and related measures.
This temporary public policy allows officers to exempt eligible applicants from certain requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), facilitating the following applications for eligible applicants, subject to standard fees:
- work permit renewals under R201(1)
Applicants who don’t meet the requirements of the public policy or who are otherwise found ineligible or inadmissible may have their applications refused.
This new public policy came into effect on April 1, 2026, and will expire on March 31, 2027.
Notes:
- Officers processing applications received from April 1, 2025 up to and including March 31, 2026 from foreign nationals who applied under the previous temporary public policy for foreign nationals who were facilitated under the CUAET measures, should refer to the instructions found at: CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024.
- Officers may encounter applications submitted under the Temporary public policy to facilitate access to temporary residence for certain Ukrainians and their family members who have applied under the Temporary public policy to grant permanent residence to certain Ukrainian nationals with family in Canada. Officers processing those applications should refer to the instructions found at: Facilitated access to temporary residence for applicants on the pathway to permanent residence: Family reunification for Ukrainian nationals.
On this page
Background
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada has upheld steadfast support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against ongoing Russian aggression, and for the people of Ukraine.
On March 17, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced the CUAET as part of Canada’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This public policy continues facilitation for Ukrainian nationals and their family members who have sought temporary safe haven in Canada under the CUAET program and who continue to need to support themselves while the war in Ukraine remains ongoing.
The measures outlined in this public policy will facilitate continued access to work permit renewals from within Canada for clients who hold a valid work permit under CUAET and related measures, in recognition of their reliance on special measures to maintain work authorization to remain employed in Canada.
Eligibility
Under this temporary public policy, clients must meet either of the following conditions:
- The foreign national:
- has valid temporary resident status;
- arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024;
- holds a valid work permit, at the time of application under 1) iv., issued on the basis of exemptions under one of the following public policies:
- Temporary public policy to exempt Ukrainian nationals from various immigration requirements in support of the Canada-Ukraine authorization of emergency travel, signed on March 16, 2022;
- Temporary public policy to renew the Canada-Ukraine Authorization of Emergency Travel from April 1, 2023, signed on March 21, 2023;
- Temporary public policy for foreign nationals who applied under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures and for new temporary resident applicants, signed on July 7, 2023;
- Temporary public policy to facilitate continued access to open work permits and study permits for foreign nationals in Canada who arrived under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures, signed on August 8, 2024; or
- Temporary public policy to facilitate continued access to open work permits and study permits for foreign nationals in Canada who arrived under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures - Extension, signed on February 20, 2025;
- has applied for a work permit renewal under subsection 201(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations from within Canada; and
- has not already been granted an exemption under this public policy.
- The foreign national:
- has valid temporary resident status;
- arrived in Canada on or before December 31, 2024;
- holds a valid work permit, at the time of application under 2) iv., issued on the basis of exemptions under one of the following public policies:
- Temporary public policy for foreign nationals who applied under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures and whose applications were pending as of February 4, 2024, signed on March 29, 2024; or
- Temporary public policy for foreign nationals who applied under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures and whose applications were pending as of February 4, 2024 – Extension, signed on July 31, 2024;
- has applied for a work permit renewal under subsection 201(1) of the Regulations from within Canada; and
- has not already been granted an exemption under this public policy.
Notes:
- Clients are not eligible to apply under this public policy at a port of entry.
- Clients seeking to extend their stay as a visitor by applying for a visitor record, to extend their study permit or to extend their stay as a temporary resident permit (TRP) holder by applying for a subsequent or new TRP, can apply under regular pathways, subject to standard fees and program requirements.
- Work permits issued to CUAET TRP holders are tied to the validity of the TRP. As such, TRP holders would need to apply for a new or subsequent TRP if they wish to extend their stay.
Regulatory exemptions
Under this temporary public policy, the following exemptions apply:
- Paragraph R200(1)(c): the requirement to be described under this paragraph of the Regulations.
Requirement to hold a valid work permit issued on the basis of exemptions
To be eligible for facilitation under this temporary public policy, the foreign national must, at the time of their application for a work permit renewal under these temporary measures, hold a valid work permit issued on the basis of exemptions under one of the previous public policies for Ukrainians and their family members outlined in conditions 1 or 2 of this temporary public policy.
Physical presence and status in Canada
To meet the valid temporary resident status requirement in the eligibility criteria set out above, a foreign national must:
- be in Canada after being authorized to enter as a temporary resident under section 22 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) at the time of application and when a decision is made; and
- be within their period of authorized stay as a temporary resident or have maintained their status under R183(5).
Important:
To be eligible for facilitation under this temporary public policy, the applicant must be physically in Canada and must have valid temporary resident status. An individual who has applied for facilitation under this public policy may leave Canada while their application is pending but must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status at the time the decision is rendered to benefit from facilitation under the public policy.
Please note that a foreign national who leaves Canada no longer holds valid temporary resident status and must report to the port of entry where a decision will be made whether to permit re-entry as a temporary resident.
Officers should be satisfied that the applicant is in Canada. In addition to considering all documents provided by the applicant, officers may consult the Entry/Exit Program. If entry/exit results reveal that the applicant has left Canada, the officer should send a request for proof of status in Canada before making a final decision.
Date of arrival in Canada
The eligibility requirements of this temporary public policy stipulate that the foreign national must have arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024 for condition 1, or on or before December 31, 2024 for condition 2. This is in line with the expiry of the CUAET temporary public policies and the temporary public policy for foreign nationals who applied under the CUAET but whose applications were pending as of February 4, 2024.
To be eligible, foreign nationals must have arrived in Canada by those dates, however, continuous physical presence in Canada since those arrival dates is not a requirement for eligibility under this temporary public policy. Foreign nationals who were facilitated under CUAET were eligible to receive multiple-entry temporary resident visas (TRVs) valid for up to 10 years, enabling them to leave Canada and return during the validity of the TRV. Officers should be satisfied that the foreign national arrived in Canada on or before the required dates and that they meet the other eligibility conditions. As noted above, the applicant must be physically in Canada with valid temporary resident status at the time of application and when a decision is made.
Ukrainian passport delays
The department is aware of the difficulty and delays Ukrainian clients are experiencing in regard to renewing their passports.
All clients in Canada must apply to extend their status, ideally before the expiry date of their current visitor record, work or study permit. If temporary residents (excluding temporary resident permit holders) apply before the expiry date, they can continue working or studying with maintained status until we make a decision on their application.
Officers may request a written explanation from the client if it is not possible to get a passport extended before the expiry date of their current passport and their work permit. Officers can request a copy of the client’s expired passport and a letter explaining that they have applied to get their passport extended, and will submit their new passport as soon as it’s received.
Application assessment
Issuing work permit renewals in Canada under the public policy
This temporary public policy facilitates renewals of existing work permits from within Canada for certain Ukrainian nationals and their family members, by exempting eligible applicants from the requirement to be described under paragraph 200(1)(c) of the Regulations.
Eligible clients may apply to renew their existing work permit from within Canada, but may only receive one renewal based on exemptions under this public policy. The validity period of the renewed work permit is subject to the client’s passport or biometrics validity, as well as the discretion of the processing officer, however officers are encouraged to consider issuing the renewed work permit for up to 3 years from the date of decision. Officers may encounter cases where a client has applied more than once for a work permit renewal within the duration of this public policy. In such cases, the officer should verify that the previous work permit renewal application was submitted between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, and that a work permit renewal was already granted. In cases where the client has already received a renewal under this public policy, even if the duration was shortened due to passport validity, the client would not be eligible for a second work permit renewal.
Employer-specific work permit renewal applications
Renewal applications submitted in Canada under the regular work permit categories under R204 to R208 for eligible foreign nationals should be processed as per the instructions for the specific work permit category.
Applications submitted in Canada with an LMIA for nationals of Ukraine should be processed as per the instructions: Labour Market Impact Assessment Review
Final decision
Approval
Issuing open work permit renewals in the GCMS
The exemptions under this public policy are granted under the authority of section 25.2 of the IRPA. Applicants who don’t meet the other requirements for a work permit renewal may be refused.
The open work permit is issued and is coded as follows:
| Field | Selection or input |
|---|---|
| Case Type | 20 |
| Province of destination | Unknown |
| LMIA exemption code | R01 Public policies issued under A25.2 (inside Canada) |
| Employer | Open |
| Intended Occupation | Open |
| NOC | 99999 |
| Conditions | Officers should ensure that instructions provided in Work permit issuance in GCMS: Unrestricted are followed. If the applicant has not completed a medical examination and
|
| Biometrics | Work permit applicants are required to provide biometric information. The regular biometric exemptions apply (for example, age or 1 in 10). |
| User remarks (mandatory) | Permit issued under temporary public policy to facilitate extensions of open work permits for foreign nationals in Canada who were facilitated under previous public policies for Ukrainians and their family members **IMPORTANT**: In addition to the above-noted user remarks, clients whose previous work permit applications were issued under the CUAET measures should continue to have the CUAET/AVUCU visible remark added to their work permit renewals under this new temporary public policy. Clients who were not previously facilitated under the CUAET but were issued a work permit based on exemptions under the condition 8 of temporary public policy referred to in 1iii)c) should not have the CUAET/AVUCU visible remark added. |
| Duration | Officers hold the delegated authority to determine the authorized period of stay, but are encouraged to consider issuing the work permit renewal with a validity of up to 3 years or passport or biometric validity, whichever is first. |
Refusal
Officers may encounter applications submitted from clients who are ineligible for this temporary public policy, who do not meet other standard eligibility requirements or who are found to be inadmissible to Canada. If an officer has determined that the applicant does not meet eligibility requirements or is inadmissible, the application should be refused.
Officers should record their reasons for decision as per the instructions in: Decision making: Standard of review and process for making a reasonable decision.
If a refusal is warranted due to the client not meeting the eligibility requirements of the public policy, officers should select “Other” ground, and include the following comment, before proceeding to refusal:
You do not meet eligibility requirements as per the temporary public policy to facilitate renewals of open work permits for foreign nationals who were facilitated under previous public policies for Ukrainians and their family members.