Helping During Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis
Alberta’s 8 regional construction associations along with the Alberta Construction Association has asked the governments of Canada and Alberta for ways we can help to embrace and support Ukrainian refugees. The heartrending scenes in Ukraine have many in our industry wanting to do more and as such we continue to reach out to all parties.
Alberta’s construction industry is eager to partner with the Alberta and Federal Governments to arrange suitable employment for refugees as well offer them some sense of normalcy in an uncertain future.
Alberta Government response
The government response to date has been positive. Noting that at this time they did not know at this time how many refugees may be headed to Canada and how that many will be women and children, or older individuals with family connections to Canada.
Alberta has begun prioritizing permanent residency applications under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program and more information on Alberta’s response to Ukraine is currently found here.
Federal Government response
The Government of Canada has announced the launch of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), a special, accelerated temporary residence pathway to welcome Ukrainians and their families to Canada. With the CUAET, Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality may stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.
Applicants who are overseas need to apply online for a Canadian visitor visa and provide their biometrics (fingerprints and a photo). Applicants are encouraged to apply for a 3-year open work permit at the same time as their visa application.
How an employer can help
Employers seeking offer employment to Ukrainian refugees should register those opportunities on Job Bank’s Jobs for Ukraine webpage. You can find additional information about the federal measures in the Government of Canada’s news release.
The government has committed to keeping all stakeholders informed in the coming days.