The federal government reaffirmed on 16 February that Ukrainians who arrived under the Canada-Ukraine Authorisation for Emergency Travel (CUAET) scheme are "temporary residents" who should plan to return home once the conflict ends. The statement, reported by Global News, appears at odds with recent remarks from Immigration Minister Lena Diab acknowledging that many of the nearly 300,000 arrivals hope to settle permanently.
CUAET, launched in March 2022, granted open work and study rights for up to three years and access to settlement services normally reserved for refugees. Advocates such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress are lobbying for a dedicated permanent-residence stream, arguing that many visa-holders cannot meet Express Entry points thresholds.
At this uncertain juncture, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) can guide Ukrainians and their Canadian sponsors through status checks, extensions and alternative visa options, providing step-by-step application support and real-time updates that reduce administrative headaches for both workers and HR teams.
![Ottawa still expects Ukrainian emergency-visa holders to leave after war, fuelling residency debate]()
IRCC’s stance complicates workforce planning for employers that have integrated thousands of Ukrainian hires, particularly in agriculture, health care and construction. If Ottawa ultimately declines a PR pathway, companies will need to transition staff to conventional work-permit categories or face talent loss when the war ends and temporary status expires.
Lawyers also point to humanitarian considerations: processing times for other compassion-based applications exceed ten years, leaving families in limbo. The mixed messaging underscores a broader tension in Canada’s immigration policy as it trims overall permanent-resident targets while relying on temporary programmes to plug labour gaps.
For now, sponsors and HR departments should track employees’ permit expiry dates, explore provincial nominee routes where available and prepare documentation early—should a one-time PR window eventually open, spots will be snapped up quickly.
CUAET, launched in March 2022, granted open work and study rights for up to three years and access to settlement services normally reserved for refugees. Advocates such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress are lobbying for a dedicated permanent-residence stream, arguing that many visa-holders cannot meet Express Entry points thresholds.
At this uncertain juncture, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) can guide Ukrainians and their Canadian sponsors through status checks, extensions and alternative visa options, providing step-by-step application support and real-time updates that reduce administrative headaches for both workers and HR teams.
IRCC’s stance complicates workforce planning for employers that have integrated thousands of Ukrainian hires, particularly in agriculture, health care and construction. If Ottawa ultimately declines a PR pathway, companies will need to transition staff to conventional work-permit categories or face talent loss when the war ends and temporary status expires.
Lawyers also point to humanitarian considerations: processing times for other compassion-based applications exceed ten years, leaving families in limbo. The mixed messaging underscores a broader tension in Canada’s immigration policy as it trims overall permanent-resident targets while relying on temporary programmes to plug labour gaps.
For now, sponsors and HR departments should track employees’ permit expiry dates, explore provincial nominee routes where available and prepare documentation early—should a one-time PR window eventually open, spots will be snapped up quickly.
