Pathfinders For Ukraine

У цю другу річницю повномасштабного вторгнення в Укріну ми вшановуємо мужність тих, хто продовжує боротися за свою батьківщину, а також тих, хто переміщений через війну, починаючи важкий новий шлях за кордоном. Ми продовжуємо щоденну боротьбу за тих українців, переміщених під час війни в Канаді, щоб забезпечити їм відчуття безпеки – для їх майбутнього та майбутнього їхніх дітей, будуючи чіткий шлях до постійного місця проживання. Рішаючи цю проблему за допомогою нашого дослідження, висловлюючи її через лобіювання в Оттаві та створюючи обізнаність про це в засобах масової інформації, ми продовжуємо нашу адвокаційну роботу донині. Коли парламент повернеться в понеділок, 26 лютого, він завершиться зачитуванням нашої паперової петиції до прем’єр-міністра із закликом до спрощеного шляху до PR. Дякуємо депутату .ehsassi за його підтримку, подання та читання петиції. Ми молимося за перемогу в Україні та в нашій справі, запроваджуючи мир і відбудову новоі України. Слава Україні!

On this second anniversary of full-scale invasion, we honour the courage of those continuing to fight for their homeland, and those displaced by war starting a difficult new path abroad. For those war-displaced Ukrainians in Canada, we continue to fight every day on their behalf to provide them with a sense of safety - for their future and their children’s future by building a clear pathway to permanent residence. Through bringing substance to the issue with our study, giving voice to it through lobbying in Ottawa, and creating awareness of it in the media, we continue our advocacy to this day. As Parliament returns Monday, February 26th, this culminates with the reading of our paper petition to the Prime Minister appealing for a streamlined pathway to PR. Thank you to MP .ehsassi for his support, submission, and reading of the petition. We pray for victory in Ukraine and in our work, ushering in peace and the rebuild of a new Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!

Take 10 minutes to join over 705 fellow war-displaced Ukrainians in sharing their voice on the challenges and recommendations on PR Pathways!

Шановні українці!
Допоможіть нам зрозуміти ситуацію, виклики та перспективи українців, переміщених під час війни до Канади, за допомогою нашого національного опитування «Шляхи до PR» для власників CUAET.
Ми в Pathfinders for Ukraine, Канадській некомерційній організації, збираємо ваші дані опитування, щоб допомогти поінформувати канадських політиків, організації та громадськість про проблеми, які потрібно вирішувати за допомогою кращих послуг, політики та програм. Зведений звіт і рекомендації будуть опубліковані восени.
Зробіть свій голос почутим і допоможіть своїм співвітчизникам-переселенцям у Канаді!

Пройдіть опитування тут (українською): https://forms.gle/eFtVjhynu1FRAUwk6
Пройдіть опитування тут (англійською мовою): https://forms.gle/oAvbJczaADfxfnV99

--

Dear Ukrainians! Help us understand the situation, challenges, and outlook of war-displaced Ukrainians in Canada with our national "Pathways to PR Survey" for CUAET holders.
We at Pathfinders for Ukraine, a Canadian non-profit organization are looking for your survey inputs to help make Canadian policymakers, organizations, and the public aware of the issues that need to be addressed with better services, policies, and programs. A summary report and recommendations will be published in the fall.
Make your voice heard and help your fellow war-displaced Ukrainains in Canada!

Take the survey here (Ukrainian): https://forms.gle/eFtVjhynu1FRAUwk6
Take the survey here (English): https://forms.gle/oAvbJczaADfxfnV99

ШЛЯХИ ОТРИМАННЯ PERMANENT RESIDENCE (PR) У КАНАДІ Це дослідження проводиться Pathfinders for Ukraine (Канадська неприбуткова та повністю волонтерська організація професіоналів, зареєстрована на Федеральному рівні, яка пра...

Happy Canada Day! Today we reflect on the CUAET program - a bridge between war-displaced Ukrainians and Canada and our front door presence around this time last year in Poland and Ukraine. The bond between Canada and Ukraine has been long and strong, and will remain forever.

Despite being some of the world’s most educated, hardworking, and talented people, 46% of war-displaced Ukrainians in Canada report that they’re working in a different field at the same or lower position as they did in Ukraine. We want to help you land a job in Canada that fits your skills and ambition using LinkedIn, the top platform for professional job-seekers!

This free webinar on May 2nd will have expert Career Coach Ana Lokotkova and Executive Career Strategist Maureen McCann help you build your profile and navigate the Canadian job market using LinkedIn.

Spots for the webinar are limited, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gVYCaFV2

Join the Canada-Ukraine Professional Network for updates here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12792611/

Attention Ukrainians in Canada - We’re Here to Support Your Professional Success!

We're proud to announce the launch of the Canada-Ukraine Professional Network (CUPN), a group that was created by Pathfinders and our partner-volunteers to help war-displaced Ukrainians realize their full potential with professional support through webinars, mentorship, and making connections with Canadian leaders and experts.

Join the group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12792611/

Our first expert-led webinar on how to use LinkedIn, the top tool used by professionals to express themselves and for recruiters to find talent in Canada will be on May 2nd. Find more details on how to signup in the CUPN group!

BREAKING NEWS: CUAET extended to July 15, 2023; Approved allowed to enter under the program (and work/study permit) by March 31, 2024.

The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) was launched one year ago today. The Pathfinders have been supporting applicants since Day One, and continue to lobby for the program’s extension. The war isn’t over, and so the program shouldn’t be either.

A national poll conducted a few weeks ago showed Canadians continue to support Canada’s efforts behind the Ukrainian people on the frontlines and resettling here in Canada. Notably, the poll cited our joint letter and found that 75% of Canadians support extension of the CUAET program - set to expire at the end of this month. We are continuing our efforts engaging MPs and other stakeholders to make progress in providing safe haven in Canada.

CUAET holders: please check the inbox of the email you used to apply for your visa for this voluntary survey by the IRCC. Make your voice heard!

On Friday, the Pathfinders shared this “One-Year Factsheet” for the one-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion, and mailed copies of this and the letter to the Prime Minister to Members of Parliament including members of the Immigration and Foreign Affairs Committees. The factsheet outlines some key statistics and observations we’ve gathered through partners and ourselves on CUAET, flights, housing, jobs, and resettlement to create awareness and take action on key issues facing war-displaced Ukrainians across their journey. Download at: www.pathfindersforukraine.com/policy.
Минулого тижня Pathfinders поділилися цим «Річним інформаційним довідником» до річниці повномасштабного вторгнення та надіслали копії цього листа та листа прем’єр-міністру членам парламенту, включаючи членів імміграційної та іноземної Комісії у справах. Інформаційний бюлетень містить деякі ключові статистичні дані та спостереження, які ми зібрали через партнерів і нас самих щодо CUAET, авіарейсів, житла, робочих місць і переселення, щоб підвищити обізнаність і вжити дій щодо ключових проблем, з якими стикаються переміщені українці під час війни під час їхньої подорожі. www.pathfindersforukraine.com/policy

On this day, marking the one year anniversary of full-scale invasion, we can’t say it much better than it’s been said by so many, so we’ll keep it simple: we were created in those early days, we were there for CUAET’s first day, we continue our work to this day, and we intend on being there for Ukraine Victory Day and beyond. Slava Ukraini!

Today, Pathfinders along with a coalition of partner organizations providing support to war-displaced Ukrainians issued a letter to PM Trudeau urging the 1-year extension of the CUAET program, its supports, and to leverage the proceeds of seized Russian assets. A swift decision will help alleviate anxieties, misinformation about the program, and uncertainties with the war for those who have applied, those mobilizing resources to come to Canada, and those who may be displaced in the future.
The letter, co-signed by our partners America 4 Ukraine, 4Ukraine.ca, and Safe Passage 4 Ukraine collectively represents a network of grassroots organizations with volunteers across Ukraine, Poland, Canada, and the US providing support for CUAET visa info, flight sponsorships, host-matching, employment search and support, and settlement services.
Pathfinders and our partners will continue our mission every day to provide a voice for war-displaced Ukrainians and the compassionate Canadians providing their support, homes, and resources to help. Slava Ukraini!
Сьогодні Pathfinders разом із коаліцією з 3-х своїх партнерських організацій, що надають підтримку переміщеним українцям під час війни, надіслали листа Прем’єр-міністру Трюдо із закликом продовжити на 1 рік програму CUAET, її підтримку, а також використовувати доходи від конфіскованих російських активів. Швидке рішення допоможе зменшити хвилювання, дезінформацію про програму та невизначеність із війною для тих, хто подав заявку, тих, хто мобілізує ресурси, щоб приїхати до Канади, і тих, хто може бути переміщеним у майбутньому.
Лист, спільно підписаний нашими партнерами North America 4 Ukraine, 4Ukraine.ca та Safe Passage 4 Ukraine, разом представляє мережу масових організацій, які представляють волонтерів у Канаді та Сполучених Штатах, надаючи підтримку, починаючи від інформації про візи CUAET, польоти спонсорство, підбір господарів, пошук роботи та підтримка, а також послуги підтримки поселення.
Pathfinders та наші партнери продовжуватимуть нашу місію щодня та висловлюватимуть голос українцям, переміщеним під час війни, і канадцям, надаючи свою підтримку, домівки та ресурси, щоб допомогти справі. Слава Україні

Notice: Miles4Migrants Ukraine2Canada Program
The next round of 300 flight tickets will be available tomorrow, January 31st at 5PM Warsaw Time. Going forward, those who are registered with Miles4Migrants will receive a direct invitation link via e-mail to apply for the program. Please check your e-mail inbox for the invitation link.

The next round of 300 tickets will be available on February 14th via e-mail link.

Примітка: програма Miles4Migrants Ukraine2Canada
Наступний раунд із 300 авіаквитків буде доступний завтра, 31 січня, о 17:00 за варшавським часом. Надалі ті, хто зареєстрований у Miles4Migrants, отримають пряме запрошення електронною поштою, щоб подати заявку на участь у програмі. Будь ласка, перевірте свою електронну скриньку на наявність посилання для запрошення.

Наступний раунд із 300 квитків буде доступний 14 лютого за посиланням електронною поштою.

Introduced on March 17th, 2022, the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel was introduced as a temporary measure to support Ukrainian nationals and their families by offering them up to a 10-year visitors visa and the ability to receive a 3-year work or study permit. We at Pathfinders for Ukraine have provided information and support to CUAET program applicants since Day 1 from locations across Poland and the Ukraine as a ‘front door’ overseas to support with visas, flights, and connections to settlement support before they land Canada-side.

Over the course of 2022, the CUAET program was the most popular non-EU program (approximately 3x the UK program’s applicants, and over 3x the US program), however, their sponsorship-based programs have seen greater success in the ratio of approved applicants that have arrived in the country (e.g., 73% in the UK and 46% in the US). Various reasons may explain this, ranging from financial difficulties in getting to Canada, changing circumstances in the war, and using the Canadian program as an ‘insurance policy’ if circumstances worsen, as some have described it. At its peak in late summer, over 40,000 applicants applied for CUAET in a week; that has slowed to under 10,000 in the last week of December.

We’re happy to hear the stories of many of the Ukrainians we’ve helped that have begun new lives in Canada - finding homes, getting jobs, and making friends at school, thanks to the generosity of Canadians from coast-to-coast. Despite this, we know that many still long to return to their homeland and to family still there.

Just as the war, the program, and the needs of war-displaced Ukrainians has evolved, we too at Pathfinders are adapting our approach, supports, and partnerships to fit the needs on the ground. Thank you for your support during 2022, and we hope for victory and peace in this new year. Slava Ukraini!

(Sources: Analysis of IRCC, CBSA, UK Home Office, and USCIS data)

Today we are unveiling a progressive web app called Where 2 Go Canada: https://where2gocanada.ca/

Two of the most prominent questions Ukrainian refugees ask us are “where should I go?” and “where do I get a job?”. The Where 2 Go Canada app is a tech product solution developed to help answer both of these questions.

In Canada, and through the CUAET program, one of the most important factors in successful resettlement is finding a job. Created in partnership with Improving and YoppWorks, this new tool recommends cities that best suit your skills, experience, and prospects by identifying Canadian cities where people with your skillset are working and being hired.

We've been working with the amazing team at PeaceGeeks to help them integrate more features for Ukrainian nationals.
The Arrival Advisor app now has information for Ukrainians with or applying for CUAET visas, in both English and Ukrainian!

You can download the app here: https://apple.co/3RmRjOj

More info on Arrival Advisor: https://arrivaladvisor.ca/

As of August 22, 2022 - 204,793 CUAET applications have been approved, yet only 74,589 CUAET applicants have arrived in Canada.

Ukrainian Independence Day is August 24th. Did you know Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991?

While thousands of spectators took to the streets of Kyiv clutching blue and yellow flags and banners with slogans such as "Ukraine without Moscow," "52 million Ukrainians demand independence" and "Ukraine has sacrificed 15 million lives for the Soviet Union," Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said Canada would recognize the independence of Ukraine as soon as possible, and negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations later. On December 2, 1991, Canada became the second country after Poland to officially recognize independent Ukraine.

This leap over the red tape of bureaucracy showed a solidarity between Canada and Ukraine that still resonates today.

Guess who’s coming to Canada? THIS GUY! Congratulations to our Warsaw Lead, Maksym, for *finally* getting his Canadian CUAET visa!!! 🇨🇦🎸🎉

Vancouver Island's Kiwanis Village is offering up a two-storey home with 15 units to welcome up to 40 Ukrainian refugees in August. The new Ukrainian village will consist of 15 units, most of them bachelor suites with mini-kitchenettes and bathrooms. The building features a communal kitchen where residents can prepare their own meals, a central meeting place with a television, and a conservatory. The complex is opposite Oswald Park, which has a communal garden and playground for the children.

Some residents of the Kiwanis village are learning to speak Ukrainian, and others are baking cakes and other goods to welcome them.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3BonacF

66-year-old Tanya Bila and Andrii Bilyi are retired teachers from Vinnytsia. Because they were abroad when the war started, they came to Canada with only two carry-on suitcases and a few changes of clothing.
They didn't get to say goodbye to their homeland.

Karmen Jayne of Help Ukraine Vancouver Island personally helped them find a host family - Henry and Darlene Ravensdale. Karmen has been following their progress ever since.

Via Help Ukraine Vancouver Island:

17-year-old Oleksii Liashenko was a student in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when the war started. When he came to Canada, barber shop owner Visar Gashi empathized, as he was forcibly expelled from his native Kosovo during the war with Serbia in 1999. Visar and his brother own Brothers Barbershop. Visar is absorbing all expenses to put Oleksii on the path to becoming a licensed barber!

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3PV85TS

Our partners at Help Ukraine Vancouver Island have been doing incredible work, and we wanted to spotlight some of these happier stories for a change.

"Coming to Canada - this idea from the very beginning was like a step into the unknown. But sometimes it is the only way move forward. It was an absolutely new country for me. Fortunately, I knew a little English, since I worked as a sales manager for an outsourcing company in Ukraine.

I filled in a form on the Help Ukrainian Vancouver Island website. And I got help when I needed it.

Because of my disability I often depend on other people's help. I’m very thankful to all of the people who help me in my life in different situations; I never take it for granted. I am so impressed with the readiness of Canadian people to open their hearts and houses for those who are in need.

The person who hosts me is very nice, kind, open-minded, and intelligent. She tells me a lot about Canada: Canadian rules, traditions and culture.

HUVI volunteers have done a lot of work to settle those who came to Vancouver Island from Ukraine during the last months, and I really can’t find the right words to say how amazing they are.

The checklist HUVI provides to every newcomer was very helpful for me. And when all of the forms were filled in and all of the registrations were made: I got a job offer.

I just finished second week of my new job, and now I’m so inspired and motivated to work and to be useful." - Zhanna Kolesnyk

The war in Ukraine has entered its fifth month. Thousands are dead. Millions are seeking refuge. Billions are feeling the economic impacts.

A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute has some interesting findings about Canadians and their support for Ukraine. Numbers don't lie.

Full report: https://bit.ly/3RVLLeP

Pathfinders will be speaking at ’s webinar on July 20th with a panel of amazing speakers about how to tap into the highly skilled and hardworking cohort of inbound Ukrainian residents.
Send a message to Tatyana if you want the invite: [email protected]

Help Ukraine Vancouver Island is orchestrating a workshop: "Expectations of Canadian Employers", presented by employment expert: Isabelle Charland of HRI HR International.
Sat, July 30 - 10am-12pm PST

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86383504482
Live Ukrainian translation will be available.

United Way British Columbia is offering an info session that will answer all your questions about providing a safe space for arriving Ukrainians, where to start, and how long it takes.

Whether you have space for the short-term or longer-term, displaced Ukrainians are in need of accommodations to get on their feet.

🔗 To register for the information session, please fill out the form here: https://bit.ly/3O3G5w9

Tamara Cherep was one of the first displaced Ukrainians to jump onto the other side of the desk as a volunteer. And she is the epitome of true grit.
She was forced to flee from Izium, Kharkiv region, in early March, and had her first sponsor back out at the last minute during her first visa process. Having the hope for your future snuffed out and seeing your home wiped off the face of the earth in the same month has got to be one of the most uncomfortable feelings of freefalling imaginable. Despite this, her sense of humor, her sass, and her unbridled warmth kept us all sane these past few months.
This is her story: https://bit.ly/3c4Sz9i

Art is an integral part of Ukrainian culture and identity, and today it is used to support the Ukrainian resistance: buy some new art, help Ukrainians buy ambulances!

Health professionals and field medics need ambulances yesterday. Providing emergency health care in a war zone is arguably one of the most critical priorities, and some of the most difficult to conduct. This Ukrainian art auction will directly support getting vehicles prepared and equipped for operations in conflict zones.

The auction ends 17 July @ 14:00.

This charity auction is a fundraising effort by Miller & Smith Foundation, curated by Lisa Kok.
Foundation Miller & Smith - Friends of Ukraine was established in the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Their aim is to support people affected by the war.

Bid now and often at: https://www.catawiki.com/en/a/th/11497-miller-smith-foundation-catawiki-charity-auction

Catawiki is an online curated auction marketplace for unique items in Europe.

Alisa Onipchenko art
Transcarpathian Art Foundation / Фундація розвитку закарпатського мистецтва
SINGULART
Andrey Chebotaru

This Canadian Babushka’s bark is worse than her bite. 🥫🥒🧄🧅🥔