The Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Ontario Provincial Council (UCC-OPC) has submitted a formal response to the Government of Ontario regarding the redesign of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Our position is clear: Ukrainian nationals who arrived in Ontario under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program deserve a dedicated immigration pathway that acknowledges their unique circumstances and contributions.
Background: CUAET and Ontario
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Canada has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian nationals through the CUAET program. Of those who settled in Ontario, more than 127,000 individuals have built roots in our province — working, raising families, contributing to local economies, and enriching our communities.
These are not temporary visitors. They are teachers, engineers, healthcare workers, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and caregivers. Many have children enrolled in Ontario schools, pay taxes, and have developed the language skills, professional credentials, and community ties that Ontario prizes in skilled immigrants.
Yet, despite these contributions, CUAET holders remain in a state of legal uncertainty. Their temporary status is time-limited, and the federal pathways to permanent residence are not well-matched to their specific situation. The provincial government has a unique and powerful tool at its disposal: the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
The OINP Redesign: An Opportunity Ontario Must Seize
The Ontario government has signalled its intention to redesign and modernize the OINP to better serve the province’s labour market and economic needs. The UCC-OPC welcomes this review and sees it as a critical opportunity to address the situation of CUAET holders before their status expires.
Manitoba has already demonstrated that this approach works. The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) created a dedicated stream for Ukrainian CUAET holders, recognizing them as a valuable group of workers and potential long-term residents. Manitoba’s proactive stance has helped retain thousands of Ukrainians who are already integrated into the province’s workforce and communities.
Ontario, Canada’s largest province and home to the highest concentration of CUAET holders, has an even greater responsibility — and an even greater opportunity — to act decisively.
Our Ask
The UCC-OPC is formally requesting that the Government of Ontario take the following steps as part of the OINP redesign:
- Stabilize livelihoods: Create a dedicated OINP stream for CUAET holders currently residing and working in Ontario, with criteria designed around the lived reality of war-displaced Ukrainians rather than traditional economic immigrant profiles.
- Retain skilled workers: Recognize the skills, credentials, and Ontario work experience that CUAET holders have accumulated since 2022, and use that experience as a basis for nomination rather than requiring them to compete in general labour market streams.
- Align with other provinces: Follow the precedent set by Manitoba and other provinces that have developed Ukrainian-specific immigration pathways, ensuring Ontario does not fall behind in retaining this exceptional population of workers and community members.
The Stakes
If Ontario does not act, it risks losing tens of thousands of skilled, motivated, and already-integrated workers who will be forced to leave Canada when their CUAET status expires. These are people who have already made Ontario their home. Allowing them to be displaced a second time — this time by policy inaction — would be both a humanitarian failure and an economic one.
The UCC-OPC will continue to advocate at every level of government for a just and lasting solution for CUAET holders in Ontario. We call on all Ontarians — community leaders, employers, elected officials, and neighbours — to add their voices to this call for action.