Ukraine – CUAET: Port of entry (POE) and in-Canada applications for a study permit

The Prime Minister announced on February 23, 2022, that the Government of Canada has taken a strong stance against Russia’s attack on Ukraine and is committed to helping Ukrainian nationals and their family members overseas and in Canada.

As per the Minister’s announcement on March 22, 2023, the Government of Canada had extended the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) via public policy. This means that

• anyone holding a CUAET visa will have until March 31, 2024, to travel to Canada under the special measures
• CUAET holders who are already in Canada will have until March 31, 2024, to extend or adjust their temporary status through these measures, free of charge

These program delivery instructions inform IRCC and Canada Border Services Agency staff on how to process or issue applications for a study permit at ports of entry (POE) and in Canada under the CUAET measures.

On this page

• Eligibility
• Biometrics
• In-Canada applications
• POE applications
• Fees
• Non-compliance

Eligibility

In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and as per the CUAET temporary public policy, Ukrainian nationals and their family members may apply for a fee-exempt study permit in Canada, or study permit extension, issued for the duration of studies or to passport validity (whichever comes first).

Unaccompanied minors, as well as minors accompanying an adult family member on an open work permit, are eligible to study at the primary or secondary level immediately without a study permit, pursuant to section 30(2) of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Minors (17 years of age and under) whose parents are seeking entry as a visitor will be eligible for a study permit to attend primary or secondary school upon arrival to Canada.

Biometrics

Under the extended CUAET measures, Ukrainian nationals who qualified for a biometric exemption as part of their overseas application, and who submit an in-Canada application for a study permit, will be required to enroll their biometrics, but continue to be fee exempt.

Should a client submit an application as a result of an administrative error (e.g., missing CUAET remark on status document) that was previously exempt from providing biometrics, an officer may use their discretionary authority (section 12.8 of the Immigration and Refugees Protection Regulations [IRPR]) to exempt biometrics on the new application.

In-Canada applications

In order to be eligible for a study permit or an extension, clients who are in Canada must

• have a letter of acceptance to a designated learning institution (if attending post-secondary education)
• hold a valid Ukrainian passport (R52), or be the family member [as per subsection R1(3)] of a Ukrainian passport holder
• hold valid temporary resident status at the time of application
• submit to an immigration medical exam, if required

In order to identify applications submitted under this measure for fee waivers, the following can be used to pull applications from the queue:

• under “expenses paid,” “Other”
• in “Other description,” “UKRAINE 2022”

To allow CUAET study permit holders to access in-Canada supports under the CUAET, officers must include special program code (SPC) UAC2 and the following visible remark on the permit: “CUAET/AVUCU”.

For tracking purposes, all in-Canada applications received under the CUAET must be tagged with the following Org ID:

• Org ID: 0273609921101

POE applications

If a client is planning to attend primary or secondary school and applying at the POE, officers are reminded to ensure that SPC UAC2 is included in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) study permit application and to

• issue a study permit with a 3-year validity (or until passport validity, whichever comes first)
  • impose the following visible remark on the permit: “CUAET/AVUCU”
  • If the client does not have valid immigration medical exam (IME) results and they have spent more than 6 consecutive months of the last year in a designated country and territory list
    • impose a condition on their study permit stating “Must report for a medical diagnostic test to identify conditions of public health concern within 90 days”
    • add a note in the GCMS study permit application indicating that the client was given the medical diagnostic test instructions

Clients with a valid IME do not require a condition on their study permit

Fees

As part of the Government of Canada’s response to support those affected by this situation, the department will waive the following fees for eligible Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members:

• study permit ($100)
• study permit extension ($150)
• biometrics ($85)
• restoration ($200)

In order to waive the client’s fees, officers should manually input the following fee exemption code:

• study permit – code “999”
• biometrics – code “B11”

For more information regarding fee waivers under the Ukraine special measures, refer to: Ukraine: General processing – Fee waivers and refunds

Non-compliance

There are 2 cohorts of non-compliant applications:

1. non-compliance related to document requests
2. non-compliance related to biometrics

A phased approach to managing these non-compliant cases to finalization will be undertaken.

1. The department may issue procedural fairness letters to non-compliant applicants from whom we have not received a response to give them 30 days to submit the requested documentation or information.
2. Applicants may be granted an extension if they have requested one to comply.
3. The department will refuse the applications for which the requested document or information was not provided within the allotted time.