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Yalynka 2022 Recap

We wish to extend our gratitude and thank everyone’s contribution for making YALYNKA 2022 a great success at the Old Mill Toronto.

We hope you have enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing you back late this year again.  All net proceeds are donated to the Humanitarian Relief for Ukraine.

We wish to extend a special thanks to our sponsors and more:

✭✭✭ Platinum – BCU Financial Group
✭✭ Gold – Ukrainian Credit Union
✭✭ Gold – Myhal Family Foundation

✭ Sing With Ukraine
✭ Zirkova Vodka
✭ Adoreyes

Photos by Anna Sudyk Photography https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531665102390533&type=3

Slava Ukraini !!!

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Employment Issues for Newcomers in Canada

June 16, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST – session on Employment Issues for Newcomers in Canada

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
____________________________________________________________________
This is a series of webinars and Q&A sessions put together by Canadian lawyers and legal practitioners to support for people affected by the situation in Ukraine in Canada and abroad, who need immediate legal information.
The sessions are free and open to public. We can answer questions in English and Ukrainian.
For the recordings of our previous sessions please see this link
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Безкоштовні онлайн зустрічі з Канадськими юристами з питань іміграції в Канаду.
Четвер, 16 Червня з 6 до 7 вечора (EST time zone) – Вебінар з питань Канадського трудового права 

Реєструйтеся щоб отримати лінк CLICK HERE TO REGISTER та слідкуйте за оновленнями сторінки.

Information for Ukrainians coming to different provinces in Canada

Settlement Support

The federal government has announced that Settlement Program services, which are typically only available to permanent residents, will be extended until March 31, 2023, for temporary residents in Canada eligible under the CUAET. Key services that are available to Ukrainians as they settle into their new communities in Canada include: language training; information about and orientation to life in Canada, such as help with enrolling children in school; information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking, counselling, skills development and training; activities that promote connections with communities; assessments of other needs Ukrainians may have and referrals to appropriate agencies; services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQ2+ persons; and other settlement supports available through the settlement program.

Find out how to prepare for your journey to Canada, what you can expect when you arrive at this link.

Information is available to Ukrainians arriving in different provinces:

  • Alberta’s government is prioritizing the assessment of applications for permanent residency made by Ukrainian nationals. For more information and additional measures visit here.
  • British Columbia launched a website Welcoming Ukraine to help Ukrainians, who have come to the province in search of safety.
  • Manitoba established a reception centre for Ukrainians and offers continuous support for the new arrivals. Read more
  • New Brunswick supports for Ukraine are described here.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador launched a registration process for Ukrainians arriving in the province and are offering information in both English and Ukrainian on their government website.
  • The Province of Nova Scotia partnered with the YMCA to provide more support for Ukrainian newcomers arriving in Nova Scotia. For a full list of support measures in English and Ukrainian visit
  • The Ontario government has announced support programs for Ukrainians in Ontario. The full list of immigration measures and settlement support offered by Ontario for Ukrainians can be found here.  If you are new to Ontario, you can find answers to common questions in Ukrainian on these websites: org, Dopomoha.ca , cuias.org
  • The Government of Prince Edward Island is offering support through Immigrant & Refugee Services Association. For more details click
  • The Province of Quebec launched a dedicated telephone line and email to inform and guide Ukrainians arriving in the province. Welcoming Ukrainians to Quebec page can be accessed
  • The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to welcoming an unlimited number of individuals and families who are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Read more
  • Yukon has the Ukrainian family support desk, which provides help and resources for people impacted by the ongoing situation in Ukraine. To learn more, see
  • To get more information about settlement in the Northwest Territories visit their government website here.
  • For programs and services in Nunavut visit their government website here .

UCPBA has been supporting a series of webinars, where Canadian immigration lawyers discuss various Canadian immigration programs and answer frequently asked questions. For all webinar recordings, see this link.

Compiled by Olha Senyshyn, Immigration lawyer in Toronto, UCPBA VP-Operations.

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Information for Ukrainians coming to Canada

Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET)

CUAET allows all Ukrainian nationals and their family members to apply for a visitor visa to enter Canada and remain in Canada up to 3 years from the time of entry. Link here

How to Apply for the CUAET (Online only)

The first step for prospective CUAET applicants is to sign in to their GCKey account or, if the prospective applicant has not applied for a Canadian visa before, to create a new account. Here is the link to do so. 

FASKEN law firm has created a step-by-step guide for applying under the CUAET program, which can be found here. This guide is also available in Ukrainian and Russian languages. There are also video tutorials about how to apply under the CUAET program, in English and in Ukrainian

Jobs 

The CUAET allows Ukrainian visa applicants to apply for a free open work permit, which would allow displaced Ukrainians and their family members to be able to work in Canada. Additionally, Ukrainian nationals who are already in Canada or who arrive in Canada on a visa other than the CUAET visitor visa but are eligible for the CUAET visitor visa can apply for this open work permit online.

The federal government has also launched a Jobs for Ukraine website, which Ukrainians in Canada can use to search for jobs if they wish to work. 

The Ontario government has launched a jobs hotline (1-888-562-4769) and an email address (ukrainianjobs@ontario.ca) to connect new arrivals with job search support and local employers in the community. Ontario has also announced that existing jobs programs in the province, such as the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, the Second Career Program, and the Skills Development Fund will favour Ukrainian applicants. 

The European Jobs for Ukraine website includes some job postings in Canada. Ukrainians in Canada can also search for job openings on Indeed

Settlement Support 

The federal government has announced that Settlement Program services, which are typically only available to permanent residents, will soon be extended until March 31, 2023, for temporary residents in Canada eligible under the CUAET. Key services that will be available to Ukrainians as they settle into their new communities in Canada include: language training; information about and orientation to life in Canada, such as help with enrolling children in school; information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking, counselling, skills development and training; activities that promote connections with communities; assessments of other needs Ukrainians may have and referrals to appropriate agencies; services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQ2+ persons; and other settlement supports available through the settlement program. 

The Ontario government has announced support programs for Ukrainians in Ontario who have traveled to Canada through the CUAET, including access to healthcare through OHIP, access to emergency housing, and ensuring that Ukrainian elementary and secondary school students can attend publicly funded schools for free. The full list of settlement services offered by Ontario can be found here.  

For immigration related questions, contact: 

The Ukrainian Canadian Bar Association at help@ucbanational.com 

Canadian immigration lawyers available to assist Ukrainians 

Canada Immigration Lawyers Association published a list of lawyers available to provide immigration assistance to those affected by the war in Ukraine Link 

The Canadian Bar Association has compiled a list of lawyers who may provide pro bono assistance to Ukrainians and how to request pro bono assistance 

Support and announcements from Canadian Universities 

York University: financial supports, mental health supports, academic advising, visa and immigration supports 

Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts): offering 25 full tuition scholarships for several one-year diploma programs for displaced Ukrainians 

University of Alberta: working to extend help to applicants, students and scholars from Ukraine whose lives are being affected by Russia’s invasion. 

General information and social services 

In Toronto: Canada Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society: For questions regarding helping Ukrainians, call the main office at 416-767-4595 or 416-225-0511 North York Office or email at contact@cuias.org 

In Toronto: Ukrainian Canadian Social Services (Toronto) Inc. (ucsst.ca)

If you are new to Ontario, you can find answers to common questions in Ukrainian on this website: Translated Information (Українська – Ukrainian) (settlement.org) 

Published by Olha Senyshyn, Immigration lawyer in Toronto, UCPBA VP-Operations. This article was prepared with contributions from Thomas Law, J.D. candidate 2023, University of Ottawa

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Yalynka 2021 was a success!

Thank You for taking part in Yalynka 2021 at the Old Mill, Toronto.
We hope you have enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing you back next year.

We are grateful and extend special thanks to our sponsors:
✭✭✭ Platinum – BCU Financial Group
✭✭ Gold – Ukrainian Credit Union
✭✭ Gold – Myhal Family Foundation
✭ Wine – Rosewood Estates Winery
✭ Zirkova Vodka

Христос Рождається! Happy Holidays! Veselych Sviat!

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UCPBA Events Postponed for Now

All UCPBA events, including next week’s Women’s Mentorship/Networking event, are postponed until further notice.

UCPBA Toronto hopes that all of our members and friends stay healthy and safe during this difficult time. In keeping with guidance from our public health officials, we encourage everyone to practice social distancing and avoid unnecessary trips outside your homes.

To learn more about the coronavirus, and how you can take steps to avoid becoming infected or spreading infection, we are including links to two notices from the Ontario Ministry of Health, one in English and one in Ukrainian. As well, you can find more information on the Canadian federal government’s coronavirus information website.

Wishing you good health!

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Season’s Greetings!

On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Toronto, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2019 was a great year for our organization, thank you very much for your support. All three of our gala events were huge successes this year and all three sold out – the inaugural Tryzub Awards in May, an Evening with Bank of Ukraine Governor Yakiv Smolii at the Albany Club in July, and our annual Yalynka Christmas party at The Old Mill this past month (more on this below). In addition, we also had great attendance at all our monthly professional events, whether it was one of our Ukrainians on Bay Street joint finance events, our Sales Workshop, one of our Knowledge Cafe events with UCSS, or any of our other networking nights, thank you very much for coming and supporting us.

Our Yalynka Christmas party was our most successful in recent years, thank you not only to our sponsors for their support, but also to all of you that attended. We’ve posted a number of photos on our website and on Facebook, please check out www.ucpba.ca or our UCPBA of Toronto Facebook page to see them all (and while you’re there, like our group!).

Wishing you a great 2020, we’re planning many more of the same events this year and we look forward to seeing you all again this year! (and if you have ideas for events you’d like to see us organize, please email contact@ucpba.ca)

Marc Marzotto
President, Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Toronto

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We Painted The Night Away!

Thank you to all members and guests who exercised their creative muscles, and hopefully learned something new along the way at UCPBA’s first-ever Paint Night.

It was a packed house as our budding Picassos learned the intricacies of colour, canvas and brush techniques!

Stay tuned for more great UCPBA events in the near future.

Special thanks to Adriana Luhovy (Instagram, Facebook) for the wonderful photos!

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Evening with the National Bank of Ukraine Governor Smolii

In conjunction with the third annual Ukraine Reform Conference – and thanks to the generosity of platinum sponsor, BCU Financial Group – UCPBA was pleased to host an evening with the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Yakiv Smolii, on July 3.

Approximately 125 guests and dignitaries attended the event, held at the wood-paneled and historic Albany Club. Governor Smolii outlined some of the National Bank of Ukraine’s efforts in the past few years: from achieving and maintaining macroeconomic stability, liberalizing monetary policies and continuing co-operation with the International Monetary Fund.

A lively Q&A period followed the formal presentation, in which guests put forth a variety of questions on wide-ranging topics, including how to promote confidence in the Ukrainian banking system, and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.