Full details have yet to be released, but Lindsay Rubeniuk of 100th Meridian Immigration believes plans to wave Visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with Russia will make it easier for them to come to Canada.

The Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant said the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel will open options for those accessing it.

“They aren’t going to really be considered refugees, even though they are forced to flee their country. They are going to come here with a visa,” Rubeniuk said. “So once they are here they can either remain as they are, because they’re authorized to be in the country, or else they can apply for a study permit or an open work permit.”

With a four month wait for inland open work permits currently, Rubeniuk hopes the federal government looks for a way to process applications faster.

“So it’s not a magic pill that you wave visa requirements and everything’s good,” she said.

Rubeniuk added there may still be a requirement to provide biometrics and with no offices doing biometrics in Ukraine at the moment she is uncertain how that might affect some refugees. It all comes down to a balancing act, Rubeniuk said, of trying to help as many people as possible while maintaining our national security.

“There might be some limitations for people if they don’t have access to what the government wants,” she said.

How much demand there is for the visas also remains to be seen. Ukrainians, she said are very loyal to their country and will have a hard time leaving. Secondly, Ukrainians, generally, have a strong connection to Europe.

“They love Germany and they love all this, all the surrounding countries. I believe it’s those that have a connection to Canada that will come here, those who already have family and friends here,” she said, “But the good news is they can get here relatively hassle free. I think that it’s really positive what’s happening.”