Immigrate to Canada from Ukraine

Where CUAET stands now

The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel stopped accepting new applications on 15 July 2023. Nobody can arrive in Canada under CUAET today, and no announcement has reopened it.

What continues are transitional measures for people who already came. Eligible Ukrainians and their family members in Canada can apply for a new open work permit, renew an existing one, or apply for a study permit — and the window to do so currently runs to **31 March 2027**, with extensions of up to three years available. The measures changed on 1 April 2026, and this extension is a one-time policy rather than a reopening of CUAET.

If you are in Canada on a CUAET-related permit, this deadline is the single most important date on this page. Applying in time preserves your status and your right to work; missing it does not.

Reporting also indicates that direct transitional financial assistance ended, while other settlement services continue. We could not confirm that against an official source, so check with a settlement agency rather than planning around it.

The permanent residence picture, honestly

The family reunification permanent residence pathway for Ukrainians opened in October 2023 and **closed to new applications on 22 October 2024**. Applications filed before that date are still being processed.

If you have an application in that queue, prepare for a long wait. IRCC reported roughly 23,000 applications received by the end of 2024 against a few hundred final decisions, and an IRCC document prepared for Parliament warned that, given limited admissions space and the accumulated inventory, waits could extend far beyond normal processing times. We state this not to alarm you but because planning around an imminent decision would be a mistake.

Crucially, you do not have to wait idle. Applicants awaiting a decision can apply from inside Canada for a new or extended work permit, a study permit, or an extension of temporary resident status — under the same 31 March 2027 deadline.

There is no dedicated permanent residence pathway for CUAET arrivals. Ukrainian community organisations continue to advocate for one, and we have seen no indication that it has been created. Planning should be based on the programs that exist today.

What that means in practice: the realistic route to permanent status runs through the ordinary economic and family programs — and for most Ukrainians already working in Canada, that means Express Entry. We cover that in detail on our Express Entry page for Ukraine.

Your police certificate — the wartime realities

Canada requires a Ukrainian police certificate for permanent residence, for citizenship, and for some temporary programs. IRCC publishes country-specific instructions for Ukraine, and the route depends on where you are.

**If you are outside Ukraine**, there are two routes. You can apply in person at the nearest Ukrainian embassy or consulate — by appointment, which is worth booking early. Or you can give a notarised power of attorney to a representative in Ukraine, who applies on your behalf to the Informatization Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

**Electronically**, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues the extract through its online service. It requires signing in with a qualified electronic signature, and the certificate arrives by email bearing an electronic seal. The Diia application is also referenced as a route. These are generally intended for people inside Ukraine, so confirm which applies to your situation rather than assuming.

**One detail that catches people out:** Ministry of Internal Affairs service centres do not issue paper certificates. If you need a paper original, it has to come through an embassy or through your representative — not by walking into a service centre.

IRCC's guidance indicates processing of up to around 30 days, but wartime service interruptions are real and can disrupt a tight plan. Build margin in. And remember Canada asks for a certificate from every country where you have lived six months or more since turning 18 — for Ukrainians displaced through Poland, Germany or elsewhere, that means parallel requests, each with its own procedure.

Routes that are genuinely open

• **Express Entry, especially the Canadian Experience Class.** If you have been working in Canada on a CUAET-related permit, that experience counts. For most Ukrainians already here this is the most direct route to permanent residence, and it is covered in detail on our Express Entry page for Ukraine.
• **Provincial Nominee Programs.** A nomination adds 600 points to an Express Entry profile and effectively guarantees an invitation. Several provinces run streams aimed at workers already in the province, which fits the CUAET cohort well.
• **Spousal and family sponsorship.** If you have a spouse, partner or close relative who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, this runs on its own track, entirely separate from the closed Ukraine-specific pathway.
• **Study permits.** Available under the current measures, and a Canadian credential plus post-graduation work experience strengthens a later permanent residence application considerably.
• **Francophone pathways, if you speak French.** Canada runs Express Entry rounds reserved for French speakers with markedly lower cut-offs. Less commonly relevant for Ukrainian applicants, but for those with French it is a significant advantage worth testing for.

What we tell Ukrainian clients before they start

• If you are in Canada, diarise **31 March 2027** and act well before it. Status is far easier to extend than to restore.
• Track your Canadian work experience carefully from the first day — employer letters, pay records, your job title and duties. It is the raw material of a Canadian Experience Class application.
• Do not wait on the family reunification queue to decide your future. Pursue a parallel route while it processes.
• Start your police certificate early and confirm which route applies to you. Appointments and wartime interruptions both add time.
• Take a language test sooner rather than later. It is the largest single block of points in Express Entry and the one most responsive to preparation.
• If you have French, test it. The Francophone category draws at lower scores.
• Be wary of anyone promising a special Ukrainian pathway to permanent residence. There is not one. Only lawyers, Quebec notaries and RCICs may represent you before IRCC, and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants keeps a public register.

A note on accuracy

Measures for Ukrainians have changed repeatedly — CUAET closed in 2023, the family pathway closed in 2024, and the work permit measures changed again in 2026. Some details on this page come from secondary reporting rather than official pages, and we have flagged those. Verify anything you rely on against canada.ca, which publishes a dedicated page of immigration measures for Ukrainians.

This is general information, not legal advice. Which route fits your situation depends on details requiring individual assessment by a licensed representative — Mila Lugovska, RCIC R515234, a member in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Consultations are available in Ukrainian.