As Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine from the north and south of the country last year and rockets rained down across the county, hundreds of thousands of people made for the borders to escape.
Many had just hours of notice and left with a handful of belongings as they boarded crowded trains or joined massive convoys of citizens headed for safety.
Few likely expected to be away from their homes for more than a year, but some are now considering the prospect of putting down roots elsewhere.
A long-awaited program to grant permanent residency to Ukrainians with familial ties will be realized soon, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Monday, but a similar program for other Ukrainians is unlikely to be available for another year or more.
Ottawa will need to co-ordinate with the Ukrainian government if it plans to offer Ukrainians a permanent place in this country, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada director Daniel B茅land said.
Offering permanent residency could signal a lack of optimism about Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 ability to beat the Russian military out of its sovereign borders.
害羞草研究所淚 think this is something that certainly should involve a discussion with Ukrainian government,害羞草研究所� B茅land said. 害羞草研究所淎t the same time, we don害羞草研究所檛 know how long this conflict will be. It害羞草研究所檚 unlikely to end any time soon.害羞草研究所�
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken many times about the importance of Ukrainians returning home after the war to help rebuild the economy.
More than 8.2 million Ukrainians have left their home country since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Canada took the unusual step last year of offering temporary refuge to an unlimited number of Ukrainians fleeing the war. Though they are not afforded the same status or supports as permanent refugees, they are allowed to work and study in Canada for up to three years, and can apply to extend their temporary stay.
The government also promised a family reunification program for Ukrainians that would offer those with familial ties to Canada permanent residency status, but that has yet to be realized.
Canada has received more than a million applications for the temporary emergency visa. Of those, 747,647 were approved as of May 30, and roughly 230,665 people have actually made the journey to Canada.
害羞草研究所淲e want to, generally, encourage the eight to 11 million people that fled to go back and rebuild,害羞草研究所� said Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
It害羞草研究所檚 not clear how many people who have come to Canada would prefer to stay, versus returning to Ukraine when it is safe.
There is a 害羞草研究所減ush and pull害羞草研究所� in Canada害羞草研究所檚 immigration policy, Michalchyshyn said, between recognizing that some desire to put down roots while maintaining hope for Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 long-term future.
His organization has advocated for the family reunification program, but hasn害羞草研究所檛 taken a position on permanent residency for Ukrainian refugees writ large.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e been hearing from the Ukrainian community in Canada that family reunification for people who are here now with their families is going to be a priority, so they can remain connected to their families,害羞草研究所� Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Monday.
Those who don害羞草研究所檛 have family ties to Canada can still apply for permanent residency through traditional immigration streams, Fraser said.
The government doesn害羞草研究所檛 have a good grasp yet of how many of those people want to stay in Canada.
害羞草研究所淥ver the next year or two I will be able to better assess whether the existing programs service those needs or whether we need to do further thinking,害羞草研究所� he said.
The longer the war goes on, the more pressure Canada will be under to provide a permanent home for Ukrainians who fled, B茅land said.
害羞草研究所淚t will provide more certainty, obviously, to these people so I think it害羞草研究所檚 the right thing to do, considering the fact that there is no end in sight for this war,害羞草研究所� he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv this weekend, where he pronounced that 害羞草研究所淐anada will continue to stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, as long as it takes.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檙e fighting for your country and for values like democracy, freedom, respect and dignity. And in fighting for Ukraine, you害羞草研究所檙e also fighting for the future of us all,害羞草研究所� Trudeau told Zelenskyy in a press conference Saturday.
害羞草研究所擫aura Osman, The Canadian Press
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