Introduction: A Shift from Emergency to Integration

The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program was launched in March 2022 as a temporary humanitarian measure in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Designed to facilitate the rapid arrival of displaced Ukrainians, CUAET granted temporary resident status alongside open work and study permits. Over time, it became clear that many arrivals would not be returning home soon. Canada’s initial emergency posture required recalibration to address the realities of long-term settlement. 

Across Canada, provinces adapted to these new realities in parallel. Alberta—home to the second-largest number of CUAET arrivals—played a particularly critical role. With nearly 50,000 displaced Ukrainians registered for provincial healthcare by early 2024, the Government of Alberta was pressed to evolve its service response in real-time. 

This article provides a chronological overview of key policy shifts at both the federal and provincial levels, with particular focus on Alberta. It aims to clarify when specific measures were introduced and how they evolved as the crisis unfolded. A more in-depth evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of these policies will follow in our next article, “Gaps and Wins – Assessing the Response”. 

Conclusion: Building from a Rapid Response

The policy evolution described above illustrates the shift from emergency protection to long-term integration. CUAET was built as a short-term humanitarian pathway, but its implementation over three years required sustained collaboration between federal and provincial governments. Alberta’s flexibility and responsiveness were central to managing secondary migration and building supportive infrastructure in real-time.

Still, the pace of policy adaptation varied, and challenges in housing access, credential recognition, and settlement funding emerged along the way. These limitations—and Alberta’s experience—will be explored further in Article 3, which assesses the effectiveness of Canada’s and Alberta’s policy responses in meeting the evolving needs of displaced Ukrainians.

References

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