Ukrainian emigres face uncertain future in Manitoba on anniversary of invasion

Nearly 30,000 Ukrainians have settled in Manitoba since Russia's full-scale invasion of their country in February 2022. 

Now, challenges with their documents and hurdles in the permanent residency process have many of the newcomers anxious about their future in Canada.

Leonid Isakov, 29, and his wife, Tetiana Isakova, 32, say they try to book an appointment online with the Consulate General of Ukraine in Toronto, but automated messages repeatedly tell them the bookings are full.

The couple's calls to the consulate also go unanswered.

They need an appointment to renew Leonid's passport, which expires next December. Without it, he can't extend his open work permit to live and continue working as a heavy-duty mechanic.

"I need live here, because if I no live here, I come back Ukraine, and I dead," Leonid told CBC News at his home in Carman, a community about 60 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

The couple and their eight-year-old son, Mark, have called the town home for nearly two years.

"We want to stay, because in Ukraine … not safe now. Not safe for us, for my son," Tetiana said, adding they're nervous about their future.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Manitoba (UCCM) says many Ukrainian newcomers are dealing with a host of paperwork problems, including expiring passports — especially men of military age from 18 to 60 years old.

Newcomers who arrived in Manitoba under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program have until March 31 to apply for study visas or work permit extensions. 

Ukrainian men can't get their passports renewed in Canada unless they're registered with the Ukrainian military through an app called Rezerv+, the UCCM's Ostap Skrypnyk said Thursday.

"Some people are having difficulty accessing [the app] … [and] some people are worried that if they do register, they'll get a draft notice so they're caught in a little bit of a situation that they can't get consular services from the Ukrainian government until they have that."

Leonid is afraid to renew his passport in Ukraine, because men of military age are prohibited from leaving the country.

"We [are] stuck in this situation," Tetiana said.