Analyzing the mission and practice of Canada’s Ukrainian and Palestinian immigration projects
With ongoing wars in Ukraine and Palestine, Canada has taken measures and created several programs to help families immigrate quickly and safely. Some examples include the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) and several temporary resident immigration measures for families in Gaza.
These interventions came soon after both wars began. The war in Ukraine began in February 2022, and Canada launched the CUAET program on March 17, 2022. The Government of Canada describes the program as an “accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians seeking safe haven in Canada while the war in their home country continues.”
According to the former minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada Sean Fraser, CUAET allows for “Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality” to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years, compared to the general six-month limit.
Through the program, applicants who would not normally be taken in, such as those without a valid passport, are given a single journey travel document on a case-by-case basis. The government also opened a webpage on Job Bank for Ukrainians, aiming to guarantee work opportunities as much as possible.
There is also a Gaza Temporary Resident Visa program. This assists individuals living in Gaza who have left Israel and Palestine. Individuals may be citizens, foreign national family members of Canadian citizens, or Permanent Residents. Palestinians and Israelis already in Canada who feel unsafe returning to the region are also encompassed.
The Government of Canada has reported as of July 8, 2025, “more than 1,750 people who exited Gaza have passed security screenings and have been approved to come to Canada in total. Since the start of the conflict, more than 860 people have arrived safely in Canada from Gaza.”
As for Ukrainian immigration, Canada has made significant efforts to help these families. ImmigCanada, a Canadian Immigration Consulting Firm, reported in February 2024 the Canadian Government granted 936,293 emergency visas for Ukrainians seeking work or study opportunities during the ongoing war.
CUAET ended in 2024, and a new temporary Permanent Residency ( PR) stream “aimed to ‘build on Canada’s commitment’ to reunite families.” A big issue Ukrainian families have faced is the loss of residence applications. CBC reported the IRCC confirms a technical glitch caused Ukrainian immigration applications to disappear in the system. Moreover, the government had received 23,000 applications by the end of 2023 and only made 367 final decisions, “1.5 per cent of its inventory”.
The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) commented on Canada’s immigration response to the Palestinian crisis, saying “it has been woefully inadequate and must be transformed.” The CCR recognizes there are factors outside Canada’s control which affect the number of Palestinians’ safe exit, but highlights, “many of the obstacles to this humanitarian pathway are of Canada’s making.” They report Canada has committed to “ensuring settlement and financial supports, and to refund visa and biometric fees,” but “health coverage still remains too limited at three months, given the trauma and war from which people have fled.”
The CCR requests the Canadian Government to be a stronger advocate for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, to end complicity in the genocide, and to recognize and support Palestinian self-determination. Supporting the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and internally displaced people is highlighted. They call for direct action, like reopening and transforming the Temporary Resident Visa program for Gaza, and adopting measures to counteract anti-Palestinian racism.
The Committee on Academic Freedom under the Middle East Studies Association posted a letter to Canadian officials about visas and study permits for Palestinian scholars. They asked the government “expedite the visa and study permit applications of Palestinian scholars who have secured academic placements at Canadian universities but remain trapped in Gaza due to bureaucratic delays and requirements that are impossible to meet, given the ongoing war.”
The committee emphasizes “these students and scholars are not just victims in need of charity; they are exceptional scholars, admitted into competitive programs at Canadian institutions.” The committee, alongside the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk , calls on the government to reverse the biased directives requiring second-level security solely based on Palestinian origin, expedite security screening, create a biometric exemption, and arrange evacuation routes.