Biometric rule delays Ukrainians’ arrival to Canada

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This article was published 06/04/2022 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Some Ukrainians who are fleeing the Russian invasion will be stuck in Europe until June, instead of making their way to Manitoba, because of federal government rules.

“Where it lacks a little bit of clarity is with the federal government right now,” said Myroslava Pidhirnyj, whose Ukrainian cultural centre Prosvita postponed a town hall it had organized for Thursday, citing a lack of information on government programming.

She said a provincial task force seems to have made progress on things such as arranging for daycare, and enrolment in bilingual Ukrainian-English schools when people start to arrive.

“There is some movement, in terms of welcoming them and who’s going to do that. Things are beginning to fall into place, and I think in the next couple of weeks a lot of that will become clearer.”

Ostap Skrypnyk, of the Manitoba branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said about 300 Ukrainians have reached out about moving to Manitoba. That’s nearly double from three weeks ago. The group has a list of Manitobans who have offered to host newcomers, which it capped at 700 people when offers kept flooding in.

“Up until now, most people have been coming to family and friends, so it hasn’t been a real issue yet,” Skrypnyk said.

“No one’s coming off the plane at the airport at midnight from Toronto and saying, ‘I have no place to stay.’ We haven’t heard of that.”

He said all levels of government and his congress are trying to plan programs on the fly.

“We’d like things to go quicker, but we fully understand that some of these things, to do right, take preparation,” said Skrypnyk.”We will be keeping in touch with them through email,” Skrypnyk said.

Pidhirnyj said the obvious hurdle is the biometric scan most adults require in order to get an emergency authorization to reach Canada.

Ukrainians who have fled to countries such as Poland have to wait days outside of Canadian embassies, or book an appointment for weeks down the road.

“They’ve filled out the application; they already have their permit to come in, but they require the biometrics and the appointments are now being made for the end of May and the beginning of June,” said Pidhirnyj.

Ottawa has exempted children and seniors from the biometric requirement, but Pidhirnyj said many kids can’t get on a plane until their mother is approved. She wondered why Ottawa doesn’t allow these fingerprint scans to be done after Ukrainians arrive in Canada, which has been allowed for medical examinations.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser defended the requirement Wednesday.

“These decisions regarding biometric exemptions have been taken with great care, because we want to make sure that we maintain the confidence of Canadians,” he told reporters. “We have process in place that both expedites the arrival of Ukrainians and doesn’t compromise on the important security outcomes.”

In the Manitoba legislature, the NDP argued the province had done “nothing” to help resettle Ukrainians, while the PC government pointed the finger at Ottawa.

“This (PC) government can’t clarify what programs and what money they’re going to give for settlement services,” said the NDP MLA Mark Wasyliw, who represents Fort Garry.

“This is a government that is avoiding leadership and avoiding responsibility and hiding behind the federal government for their inaction.”

Manitoba Immigration Minister Jon Reyes blamed Ottawa.

“The federal government needs to determine, and tell us, how many Ukrainians will be coming to Canada,” he said.

“Our government has been responsive, taken action on the Ukrainian situation and will be ready when the first round of them come to Manitoba.”

Winnipeg Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux says his government and Manitoba’s PCs seem aligned on the desire to bring Ukrainians to Manitoba.

“As much as possible, I’d like to tone down the politics of it,” said the MP for Winnipeg North.

Lamoureux hosted a virtual town hall last Sunday to try to determine why Manitoba has had so few newcomers despite it having the highest proportion of people with Ukrainian ancestry.

He noted that both Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador have plans to send delegations to Eastern Europe to promote immigration. He argued provinces should instead have a physical presence together, where Ukrainians can get information on which region might better match their needs and work experience.

“If there is no Canadian pavilion, I think Manitoba will not fare well, in terms of being able to capitalize on the goodwill that the people of Manitoba have,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fraser’s office said Ukrainians will choose where they resettle in Canada, and that many go where they have family contacts.

“Our government will continue to work in partnership with our provincial counterparts, who have all indicated that they want to help,” wrote spokeswoman Aidan Strickland.

“This is an opportunity for Canada to work together.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca