Ukrainians living in Canada fear being forced to return to their country to wage war. A new Ukrainian policy requires men to register with the military to obtain services from their embassy, such as a passport renewal.
Timofii Horban was outside of Ukraine for work when Russia invaded his country on February 24, 2022. He managed to come to Canada a month later on an emergency visa.
His wife and son, who remained in Cherkasy, a city in central Ukraine, managed to join him the following year.
Today, all three of them live in Sorel-Tracy and are becoming more and more attached to their new life in Quebec.
Charlotte Dumoulin’s report
I like Sorel-Tracy, I feel at home, it’s calm
says Timofii Horban, whom we met with his wife and 9-year-old son.
But this family’s days in the province may be numbered. Timofii’s Ukrainian passport will expire in October, as will his Canadian temporary work permit.
I can’t stay in Canada without a passport, it’s not legal. And if I don’t have a passport, I don’t have a work permit and I can’t work anymore.
Open in full screen mode
Timofii’s Canadian work permit expires in October 2025.
Photo : -
Like all men of fighting age, if he wants to obtain a new passport, Timofii must register with the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian government implemented this new policy in May. But Timofii fears that by signing up, he will be forced to return to his country to fight the war.
The military takes all this data and, based on this data, decides who to recruit for military service
, specifies Eugène Czolij, honorary consul of Ukraine in Montreal.
Open in full screen mode
Eugène Czolij is the honorary consul of Ukraine in Montreal.
Photo : -
Despite conscription, thousands of men have left Ukraine over the past three years. Today, the Ukrainian army is suffering from a serious shortage of soldiers and is losing ground.
According to the Canadian Department of Immigration, 76,650 Ukrainians aged 25 to 60 left their country to settle here between March 2022 and March 2024 with the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization.
According to the Ukrainian honorary consul in Montreal, none of these Ukrainians living in Canada were called to return to fight. However, he does not close the door to this possibility.
The army can ask all its citizens from the age of 25 to 60 to join the army to defend Ukraine. And all citizens are treated the same, whether they are in Ukraine or elsewhere in the world
, adds Eugène Czolij.
But, Timofii opposes the war: I don’t want to die, I’m afraid.
Other cases like Timofii
Since his arrival in Canada, the 38-year-old man has worked as a welder in a factory in Sorel-Tracy with 12 other Ukrainians hired like him after the invasion by Russia.
Some of his colleagues also see with anxiety the expiry date of their passports fast approaching. Their boss even tried to contact local elected officials to help them, but without success.
Open in full screen mode
Thirteen Ukrainians who arrived in Quebec since the war in Ukraine work in a steel factory in Sorel-Tracy.
Photo : -
It’s humans [auxquels] on s’attache. [Ils] are faithful to the post every morning, the minute we need them, they always say yes, they are a very hard-working people, very upright, very polite. It hurts us to lose them
, confides Maxime Lesiège, owner of Aciers Régifab.
The latest options, complex and limited
In response by email, the Canadian Department of Immigration indicates thatGenerally, any foreign person applying for permanent or temporary residence in Canada must provide a valid passport or travel document
.
Without a new passport, there are few options left to stay in Canada. According to lawyer Stéphanie Valois, fear of becoming a soldier is not a reason to obtain refugee status.
However, he could file an application for humanitarian circumstances in order to have permanent residence. But the process is very complex.
We must explain all the personal circumstances of this person. We must explain their integration into Canada, everything they did to integrate […] and the particular fear if he returns to his country
, explains Stéphanie Valois, lawyer in refugee law.
Studying the request can take up to four years in Quebec.
Timofii hasn’t decided yet what he’s going to do. He enjoys time with his family and tries to learn French.
I live day by day, I have no plan for the future, stress consumes me, I can’t think.
At least 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the start of the war, according to the country’s authorities.
The father still hopes to escape this fate.
