Vovk and her husband applied for and received their new work permits close to the March deadline. But on March 31, Ottawa announced<\/a> that Ukrainian immigrants would have another year to extend their work permits for up to three years, pushing back the previous deadline, to much relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n Applicants can maintain their temporary status during the processing period, according to IRCC\u2019s emailed statement. After their permits expire, they need to apply for permanent residency to stay in Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Vovk said she will apply to extend their permits again in 2027 if she does not get permanent residency.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, she said a clear permanent residency pathway is needed to prevent families from leaving Canada and starting all over in another foreign country or back in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRestarting our lives again under such uncertain conditions would be extremely challenging.\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vovk and her husband had planned to get permanent residency through the B.C. provincial nominee program\u2019s tech stream<\/a>, which offers a permanent residency pathway to tech workers like Vovk\u2019s husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n The B.C. government<\/a> invites the eligible registrants after scoring them based on factors, such as work experience, language proficiency and education.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vovk said the threshold for the required minimum scores<\/a> went from 95 points in December 2023 to 108 in February 2024, reaching 141 in December 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really disappointing, and I do hope the score might be lowering.\u201d Vovk said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In order to get more points for her PR application, Vovk is now studying to get better results on French and English language proficiency exams.<\/a> She aims to get level 7 on the French exam to apply for express entry through the federal program for French speakers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[It] is quite an ambitious goal when you start from zero and can only study part-time.\u201d said Vovk.\u00a0<\/p>\n She now goes to job interviews after her contract with MOSAIC, a non-profit that offers settlement services to immigrants, expired at the end of March.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vovk said the toil for PR is \u201cdraining and exhausting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[My husband and I] have work, and our children are in school. Sometimes I feel like I should spend more time with them, maybe help with their studies, but I have my homework as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Immigration changes\u00a0<\/p>\n Like Vovk, almost six million Ukrainians have been displaced globally since the war, according to a 2026 UN report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In October 2023, the IRCC launched a family reunification pathway<\/a> through which over 3,200 Ukrainians, out of 25,000 applicants, have received permanent residency thus far, according to an emailed statement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe demand for [family reunification pathway] has far outweighed the number of spaces available,\u201d said IRCC in an email. \u201cIn categories<\/a> where applications exceed planned targets, wait times are longer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ukrainians who didn\u2019t apply or weren\u2019t eligible for the reunification pathway can get permanent residency through regular programs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last November<\/a>, Canada said the number of permanent residency admissions would be capped at 380,000 between 2026 and 2028 for \u201csustainable immigration levels,\u201d while increasing intakes under the federal high-skilled and provincial nominee programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subsequently, approvals under humanitarian programs, including those from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Sudan, are planned to decrease from 6,900 to 5,000 in the next three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n A mother\u2019s wish<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Richmond, Liliia Ratushna and her husband also extended their work permits, planning to apply for permanent residency through the federal humanitarian program<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite being grateful for the extra year given to those under CUAET, Ratushna says a long-term solution for Ukrainians is needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLiving for several years as temporary residents creates a constant sense of uncertainty, and this lack of long-term stability can be emotionally difficult.\u201d said Ratushna.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tb2EK-the-number-of-registrants-invited-to-apply-for-b.c.-provincial-nominee-program-decreased-from-.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aPj4w-the-b.c.-provincial-government-has-increased-the-threshold-for-tech-draw-applicants-from-2023-.png\")
<\/p>\n