Ukrainian newcomers struggle to renew passports amidst looming visa deadline
Ukrainians who fled war must apply to extend their temporary residency in Canada by March 31
Ihor and Olena Politylo have made Richmond, B.C., their home since 2022, after fleeing Ukraine when war broke out.
Ihor works as a building maintenance technician, and Olena as a legal assistant. The married couple's four-year-old daughter is set to start kindergarten in September.
But a deadline for Ukrainians to renew their Canadian visas is approaching and Ihor's Ukrainian passport, which is required to be valid for the duration of the new visa, is set to expire next year.
It's making their future in Canada uncertain.
"Canada is our second home now," Ihor said.
He is one of many Ukrainians abroad — especially Ukrainian men of military age — who are struggling to get their passports for Ukraine renewed.
When the war broke out in 2022, the government of Canada offered Ukrainian nationals temporary refuge through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, until March 31, 2025.
Now, these Ukrainians must apply for an extension to a working permit or a student visa by the end of March in order to stay longer in Canada as temporary residents. Applicants need a passport that's valid for the duration of the visa extension.
But Ihor's Ukrainian passport expires in March 2026.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Canada said in a statement to CBC News that Ukrainian men of military age (18-60) can renew their passports at a diplomatic mission — provided they update their required military registration data through the government app Rezerv+.
But that hasn't worked for Ihor. When he tries to register his information in the app, it tells him to report to a military office in Ukraine — something he doesn't want to do.
If he returned to Ukraine to renew his passport, he would be subject to being conscripted and may not be allowed to leave the country and come back to Canada.
Ihor said he is hearing from family back in Ukraine that there are still frequent air attacks near their home, and he doesn't want his daughter, who was only two when they left, to experience that.
"She does not know what war means and we want it to stay like that," Ihor said. "She's growing here, she's used to this country."
He hasn't been unable to make an appointment at the nearest Ukrainian consulate, which he said is in Edmonton, but is travelling there next week without a meeting to try to get someone to see him.
Widespread issue
Maria Valenta, a Canadian immigration consultant with Immigration Advising Canada based out of Toronto, said she has over 400 Ukrainian clients who are in a similar situation.
Valenta said many Ukrainians got a new passport around 2015 when the country first introduced its biometric passport.
This means that now, ten years later, their passports are expiring within the next year.
"Most of these people went through so much hardship to try and find a safe place," Valenta said.
"A lot of them are facing this new major anxiety that they will not be able to extend their permits, provide for their families."
And she said even Ukrainians who are not military-age men are having difficulty extending their passports. Valenta said while the March renewal deadline approaches, her clients who have managed to get an appointment with a Ukrainian consulate or embassy are booked for August at the earliest.
"Right now the embassies are so overloaded, even women cannot apply to extend their passports," she said.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a statement to CBC News that immigration officers may consider exemptions to the passport requirement under exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis — with the onus on the applicant to provide an explanation.
But Valenta said whether an exemption is granted is at the discretion of the officer reviewing the file, and applicants are often denied.
Blanket extension of emergency visa
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has called for an automatic three-year extension for all Ukrainians under CUAET.
But in January, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the IRCC will not implement a blanket extension.
He said while he would not force Ukrainians to go back to a war zone, the 300,000 who arrived under CUAET would have to apply to stay.
Ihor and Olena said they have several friends in a similar situation as themselves, and hope the Canadian government will change its policy.
"We are asking [the Canadian government] to provide us some confidence in our future. We are okay to stay here working, but also we want to find a way to build our life," Ihor said.
Olena, who has a master's degree in law, added that they are contributing members of society.
"We are not refugee. We work here, we pay taxes, we do everything," she said.
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With files from Pinki Wong and Cory Correia