Ukrainian newcomers struggle to renew passports amidst looming visa deadline

Ihor and Olena Politylo have made Richmond, B.C., their home since 2022, after fleeing Ukraine when war broke out. 

Ihor works as a building maintenance technician, and Olena as a legal assistant. The married couple's four-year-old daughter is set to start kindergarten in September. 

But a deadline for Ukrainians to renew their Canadian visas is approaching and Ihor's Ukrainian passport, which is required to be valid for the duration of the new visa, is set to expire next year.

It's making their future in Canada uncertain.

"Canada is our second home now," Ihor said.  

He is one of many Ukrainians abroad — especially Ukrainian men of military age — who are struggling to get their passports for Ukraine renewed.

When the war broke out in 2022, the government of Canada offered Ukrainian nationals temporary refuge through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, until March 31, 2025.

Now, these Ukrainians must apply for an extension to a working permit or a student visa by the end of March in order to stay longer in Canada as temporary residents. Applicants need a passport that's valid for the duration of the visa extension. 

But Ihor's Ukrainian passport expires in March 2026.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Canada said in a statement to CBC News that Ukrainian men of military age (18-60) can renew their passports at a diplomatic mission — provided they update their required military registration data through the government app Rezerv+. 

But that hasn't worked for Ihor. When he tries to register his information in the app, it tells him to report to a military office in Ukraine — something he doesn't want to do.

If he returned to Ukraine to renew his passport, he would be subject to being conscripted and may not be allowed to leave the country and come back to Canada.

Ihor said he is hearing from family back in Ukraine that there are still frequent air attacks near their home, and he doesn't want his daughter, who was only two when they left, to experience that.

"She does not know what war means and we want it to stay like that," Ihor said. "She's growing here, she's used to this country."