Ukrainians face challenges with visa applications to Canada, among other barriers

Tatiana Chudiyovyh fled Kyiv shortly after the Russian invasion and made her way to safety in Italy with her two girls. Now, they await their visas to come to Canada.

"I am bringing with me two children, three suitcases and a teddy bear to Saskatoon. That's all," the 38-year-old said.

"When I left Ukraine, I didn't think about documents like birth certificates because my aim was to save my children."

Chudiyovyh already has a visitor visa to Canada valid until 2029 and even booked a flight for March 17.

On the other side of the Atlantic ocean, in Saskatoon, her friend Marlene Bodnar was excited for their arrival. But Chudiyovyh was not allowed to board the flight, as her children did not have visas.

"Hungary and France don't need any other documents or visas. It was special for Canada to have visas for children," she said. 

The mother applied for visas for her children under the recently announced Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel on March 18, but said the process was "a roller-coaster," as it took three hours to fill one form.

"There were a lot of questions on forms. When you're stressed, you're more scared to fill out something incorrectly," she said. "Questions like where have you been for the past five years aren't important for refugees."

Bodnar has already prepared a room in her house for the family's arrival. The two met through church associations in 2015 and have visited one another since then. Chudiyovyh last stayed at Bodnar's home in Montgomery in 2019.

"They're not visitors. This is their home. Tatiana is like a daughter to me and her children like my grandkids," Bodnar said.

Chudiyovyh said it was a hard decision for her and her husband, who is a priest in Ukraine and has decided to stay, to part ways, but it was for the children's well-being.

"When we were in Kyiv, our children were in the cellars. We had no good sleep. My children were afraid to close their eyes," she said. "Ukraine is my motherland but Saskatoon will be the second home."

Chudiyovyh said a month ago she had her goals for the next decade planned, but now just wishes to return to her motherland eventually.

Maryana Marko and Iryna Tokova are both working on getting to Canada. Each of them has a parent and two sons to bring along. Both of their husbands are staying in Ukraine.