Canada Expands Overseas Services For Ukrainians

WARSAW: Canada has approved more than 71,000 applications since the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) was launched to help Ukrainians and their family members.

Canada is now expanding services on the ground in Europe to better support those who wish to seek temporary safe haven in Canada.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, has announced the launch of the new Canada Information Centre (CI Centre) in Warsaw, Poland. The CI Centre will offer in-person information services to Ukrainian applicants. Located within the new Canadian Biometric Operations Centre (CBOC) at the Global EXPO Centrum in Warsaw, the CI Centre will provide clients with essential information in Ukrainian, English and French on what to expect when coming to Canada, including guidance on pre- and post-arrival services and support.

While at the Global EXPO Centrum, the Minister toured the CBOC, which was opened on April 19, 2022, to address the growing demand for biometrics appointments for Ukrainians

and their families applying to travel to Canada. To further increase biometric enrolment capacity overseas, a second temporary centre also opened today in Berlin, Germany, with the aim of collecting up to 1,000 biometrics enrolments per day. Thanks to these 2 new centres, and the additional capacity across the visa application centre network, our biometric capacity in the European Union has now increased to 6,600 appointments per day.

The Minister also met and thanked members of the Canadian Armed Forces supporting Canadian operations as well as the Polish Defense Forces at refugee reception centres, who are assisting Ukrainians fleeing the full-scale Russian invasion, and thanked IRCC and Global Affairs Canada staff for their efforts.

• Launched on March 17, 2022, the CUAET provides Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality with the opportunity to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to 3 years. They are also eligible for a free open work permit or study permit, which allows them to take a job with almost any Canadian employer or enrol in an education program in Canada.