Libby Znaimer is joined by Guidy Mamann, a Partner at Mamman, Sandaluk & Kingwell LLP Immigration Lawyers and Olga Tchetvertnykh, a venture Partne with BRC Capital Partners who's been actively trying to bring her family over to Canada from Ukraine.
Last week, Ottawa released details about its special program, the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET), to bring Ukrainian refugees to the country. As part of the new program, Ukrainians can apply for a free visitor visa and will be allowed to stay in Canada for up to three years. They can also apply, free of charge, for an open work permit to speed up prospects for economic employment. All Ukrainians utilizing the special program will still remain subject to visa and travel requirements and background checks like security screening and biometrics. But, according to Guidy, many questions remain like how many resources will be allocated/available to facilitating the arrival and processing of these refugees, how many will actually be allowed in, how long the application process will take, what are the controls and who gets prioritized for entry so that Ottawa makes sure the right people come in? Meanwhile, Olga details her own personal plans to bring family over to Canada from Ukraine.
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