Measures to support Ukrainians and their family members – post Canada–Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel
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 provide updated operational guidance on the processing of applications to support Ukrainian nationals and their family members seeking temporary residence in Canada following the conclusion of most of the Canada–Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) measures on March 31, 2024, and the expiry of the temporary public policy for foreign nationals who applied under the CUAET measures and whose applications were pending as of February 4, 2024.
The extended temporary public policy continues to provide facilitated access to open work permits, work permit extensions and initial study permits from within Canada for Ukrainian nationals and their family members who arrived in Canada under the CUAET measures on or before March 31, 2024. These applications are subject to standard application and biometric fees, where applicable.
This temporary public policy took effect on April 1, 2025, and applies to applications received on or after the day it came into effect and applications that were pending on that date. This public policy expires on March 31, 2026.
All standard eligibility and admissibility requirements not exempted under these measures must be met by clients. Applicants who don’t meet these requirements may have their applications refused.
For more information on the previous measures to support Ukrainian nationals and their family members, refer to: Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) measures.
On this page
- Background
- CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024
- Unprocessed CUAET applicants
- Approved CUAET visa holders who did not yet travel to Canada
- Approved for an open work permit under CUAET but did not yet travel to Canada
- Program-specific special measures
- Non-CUAET applications
- Refusals
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 measures as part of Canada’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This public policy continues our commitment to the thousands of Ukrainian nationals and their families who have sought temporary safe haven in Canada under the CUAET measures and who continue to need to support themselves and their families while the war in Ukraine remains ongoing.
CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024
Eligibility
Under this temporary public policy, clients may be eligible if they meet the following criteria:
- a national of Ukraine or a foreign national family member – per the definition of subsection 1(3) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) of a Ukrainian national who:
- holds a temporary resident visa or a temporary resident permit that was issued, or was granted temporary resident status following facilitation 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 for Emergency Travel, or
- Temporary Public Policy to Renew the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel from April 1, 2023, and
- arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024, and
- has valid temporary resident status.
- holds a temporary resident visa or a temporary resident permit that was issued, or was granted temporary resident status following facilitation under one of the following public policies:
Notes:
- Clients are not eligible to apply under this public policy at a port of entry.
- CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024 and who seek 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 program requirements.
- A TRP holder may apply for a subsequent TRP prior to the expiry of their existing TRP should they wish to remain in Canada. However, TRP holders, including individuals applying for an initial TRP, do not benefit from maintained status. In addition, they cannot renew their work or study permit or continue to work or study until a decision is made on their TRP application.
Family member definition
In these instructions, family member is defined as per subsection R1(3) of the IRPR, as
- the spouse or common-law partner of the Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- the dependent children of the spouse or the Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- the dependent children of the dependent children (grandchild of the Canadian citizen or permanent resident or spouse)
A dependent child is a child who is
- under 22 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship
- 22 years or older and unable to financially self-support due to a physical or mental condition
Valid temporary resident status
To meet the valid temporary resident status requirement in the eligibility criteria set out above, a foreign national must:
- Be physically present in Canada at the time of application and when a decision is made.
- Have been authorized to enter as a temporary resident under section 22 or 24 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA)
- Be within their period of authorized stay as a temporary resident or have maintained their status under R183(5)
Important:
An applicant 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.
Foreign nationals who depart Canada lose temporary resident status as per A47(a) and subsection R183(4)(a). For further information, officers should refer to: Travel outside Canada.
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.
Restoration of temporary resident status
Clients who are eligible for restoration may apply to restore their status at the same time as submitting an application under these measures. However, officers must first render a decision on the application for restoration. Officers should refer to Restoration of temporary resident status for additional guidance.
Important
For any applications received on or after April 1, 2024 and which were pending on August 13, 2024, from CUAET holders in Canada applying to renew an existing open work permit or for a new study permit or open work permit that did not include the applicable fees, officers should provide the applicant an opportunity to submit the required fees before returning the application as incomplete. Applicants must have arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024.
Applications received on or after August 13, 2024 that do not include the applicable fees, should be returned as incomplete.
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 can 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 visitor record, work or study 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.
Unprocessed CUAET applicants
Effective August 1, 2024 , a public policy was implemented to provide continued facilitative measures for certain Ukrainian nationals and their family members who were approved for a CUAET visa without sufficient time to arrive in Canada, and who had not arrived in Canada by March 31, 2024 (referred to as unprocessed CUAET applicants). These clients temporarily had access to some in-Canada benefits if they arrived on or before December 31, 2024.
This public policy expired on December 31, 2024.
Note: Despite the expiry of this public policy, any remaining CUAET visa applications which were submitted on or before July 15, 2023 will be processed to completion. Ukrainians and their family members whose visa applications are approved may still travel to Canada after the expiry of the above-noted public policy as long as their visas remain valid, but will do so as regular temporary resident visa holders. Border services officers will determine their authorized length of stay.
Those who were provisionally approved an open work permit with their CUAET visa will have their open work permit finalized at the POE and issued, as long as their letter of introduction remains valid.
Officers processing eligible clients can continue to reference the following suite of PDIs for instructions: Ukraine: Program delivery instructions.
Approved CUAET visa holders who did not yet travel to Canada
Ukrainians and their family members who were approved for a CUAET visa, but who were not approved for a work permit with their CUAET visa application and who did not yet travel to Canada, are no longer eligible for any facilitation, either at the POE or in Canada.
Important: Approved CUAET visa holders who are still overseas would still be able to arrive at any point during the validity of their visa, and will be treated as regular visitors to Canada at the port of entry. Border Services officers will determine their authorized length of stay.
Approved for an open work permit under CUAET but did not yet travel to Canada
Ukrainians and their family members who were approved for an open work permit under the CUAET measures at the time of initial application who did not yet travel to Canada.
These CUAET visa holders are eligible to have their open work permit finalized at the POE and issued, as long as their letter of introduction remains valid. Officers should review the client’s visa counterfoil to verify if the client was approved for a work permit.
These clients are not eligible for any in Canada supports (financial assistance, temporary accommodations or POE facilitation (waiving of bona fides and financial inadmissibility requirements). CUAET visa holders had to arrive by March 31, 2024, to be eligible for transitional financial assistance and temporary accommodations.
Program-specific special measures
Work permit issuance at the POE or from within Canada
Clients who were provisionally approved for a work permit with their CUAET visa and who arrive at the POE on or after April 1, 2024, are eligible have their open work permit finalized upon arrival at a POE and issued under the CUAET measures, as long as their letter of introduction remains valid. Border Services officers should follow the procedures below to issue the work permit at the POE. Officers should review the client’s visa counterfoil to verify if the client was approved for a work permit.
Some CUAET holders who were approved in early 2022 were issued a regular V1 counterfoil, but may have a work permit approval letter as evidence of their eligibility for a POE issued OWP.
To allow CUAET OWP holders to access in-Canada supports under the CUAET such as provincial or territorial health care, officers must include special program code (SPC) UAC3 and the following visible remark on the OWP: “CUAET/AVUCU”.
Approved application for an OWP
If the client has an approved application for an OWP, officers are encouraged to issue the OWP with a validity up to 3 years (or until passport validity, whichever comes first).
If the client does not have valid IME results, impose the following visible remark on the OWP: “CUAET/AVUCU”, impose 1 of the following
- Designated countries: “Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations, 4) agricultural occupations”
- Non-designated countries: “Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations”
Clients with valid IME results do not require a condition on their OWP.
Notes:
- BSOs maintain the discretion to determine the authorized length of stay and the validity period of permits, and to impose conditions.
- BSOs are to verify if the clients have previously completed an IME by conducting an integrated search. IME results may be linked to another UCI or a T#.
- CUAET holders who were provisionally approved for a work permit with their CUAET visa, but who do not receive it at POE, are eligible to have it issued from within Canada, subject to the validity of their letter of introduction. Officers should refer to Work permit issuance at the POE or from within Canada.
Issuing open work permits in the GCMS
The instructions on this page should be reviewed in conjunction with the following:
The exemptions under this public policy are granted under the authority of section 25.2 of the IRPA. Applicants are still required to meet the other requirements for work permit issuance.
The open work permit is issued and 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) This code should be entered manually |
| Employer | Open |
| Intended Occupation | Open |
| NOC | 99999 |
| Duration | Officers should consider issuing the work permit with a validity of up to 3 years or until passport or biometric validity, whichever is first. |
| Conditions (Mandatory when no medical exam is completed) | Officers should ensure that instructions provided in Work permit issuance in GCMS: Unrestricted are followed. If no medical examination has been completed, impose 1 of the following: Non-designated countries: “Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations” Designated countries: “Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations, 4) agricultural occupations” |
| Fees | Note: Clients who were provisionally approved for a work permit with their CUAET visa will continue to have these fees waived, provided that their letter of introduction remains valid. initial work permit – exemption code 999 open work permit holder fee – exemption code P03 Note: Clients who were not provisionally approved for a work permit with their CUAET application are subject to standard fees. Officers should refer to the fee list: Fee list. |
| Biometrics | Work permit applicants are required to provide biometric information and pay the biometric fee. Officers should refer to the fee list: Fee list. The regular biometric exemptions apply (for example, age or 1 in 10). |
| User remarks (mandatory) | Temporary Public Policy for Foreign Nationals who Applied under the CUAET Measures or Temporary Public Policy for CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024 In addition to the applicable above-noted remarks, the CUAET/AVUCU remark must be added to temporary resident documents issued under these measures (as outlined in CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024 and Work permit issuance at the POE or from within Canada). |
Issuing study permits in Canada
These special measures provide eligible individuals with facilitated access to apply for study permits in Canada.
Note: Temporary residents in Canada who don’t currently have a study permit are subject to the cap on study permit applications. Study permit applicants are required to provide a provincial attestation letter (PAL) from the province or territory where they plan to study, unless they meet one of the exceptions. Eligible clients applying for a new study permit under these measures are exempt from these requirements based on a public policy as part of a migration response to a crisis.
All applicants must submit their study permit application by following the instructions to apply for a study permit.
Study permit validity should be tied to the specified period of study (and passport validity).
Officers should refer to Temporary Residents: Students for additional guidance.
Non-CUAET applications
Ukrainian nationals and their family members who applied for a TRV after July 15, 2023, or any new TRV application from Ukrainian nationals or their family members should be treated as regular TRV applications. Approved clients who arrive in Canada will not have access to any inland facilitative measures. These clients should be processed in accordance with standard eligibility, admissibility and fee requirements.
Refusals
Officers may encounter applications submitted from clients who are ineligible for these special measures, 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 the 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 applicant not meeting the eligibility requirements of these temporary special measures, officers should select “Other” ground, and include the following comment:
You do not meet eligibility requirements as per the temporary measures for CUAET holders who arrived in Canada on or before March 31, 2024.