Immigration Canada: Family members of Ukrainian nationals

Family members of a Ukrainian national who are outside Canada can also apply for the CUAET.

A family member is defined as a

spouse or common-law partner
dependent child (yours, your spouse’s or common-law partner’s) or or
dependent child of a dependent child

About the CUAET

The CUAET gives you a visitor visa to come to Canada temporarily. The visitor visa

is fee-exempt
allows you to travel in and out of Canada, as long as your visa is valid
is valid for 10 years or until your passport expires
will be processed on a priority basis
gives you the option to apply for a fee-exempt work permit at the same time

When you arrive at the border in Canada, you’ll be given status as either a

visitor
worker, if you applied for the open work permit
student, if you’re under 18 and want to study in Canada

You can stay in Canada for up to 3 years at a time or until your passport expires. When your status in Canada is about to expire, you need to apply to extend your stay.

Who can apply

You can apply if you

are from a visa-required country
- if you’re from an eTA-required country, find out what to do
can prove you’re a family member of a Ukrainian national
have a valid passport

Documents to prove your family relationship

Documents you can use to prove your family relationship include

a marriage certificate or proof of common-law status (documents showing a shared address)
a birth certificate
other documents that show an immediate family connection, for example
- correspondence from us showing a spousal sponsorship application in progress
- documents that show a shared home address

When you travel, bring documents that prove your family relationship. When you arrive at the border, you need to show these documents to the border services officer.

The documents above are examples only. An officer may ask for other documents.

If you’re unvaccinated or partially vaccinated

You can enter Canada if you’re not fully vaccinated. This also applies if the vaccine you got is approved by the World Health Organization, but isn’t currently recognized by Canada. When you arrive in Canada, you need show that you’re a Ukrainian national or a family member of a Ukrainian national to benefit from this exemption.

You must meet all other public health requirements, such as quarantine and testing. With limited exceptions, all travellers to Canada, including anyone arriving under the CUAET, must also use ArriveCAN.

Find out more about exemptions to the vaccination requirement.

Biometrics

If you’re biometrics-required, you’ll need to give your biometrics if you haven’t given them in the past. You don’t have to pay the biometrics fee. After you submit your application, you will get a biometrics instruction letter. You need to bring this letter with you when you give your biometrics.

Find out where to go to give biometrics

If you gave your biometrics in the past, they may still be valid.

Check if your biometrics are still valid

Medical exam

You don’t need to get an immigration medical exam before coming to Canada. However, if you normally need a medical exam to come to Canada, you may need to get a chest x-ray and a blood test within 90 days of arriving. You’ll get instructions on how to complete this when you arrive.

Find out about medical exams for visitors, students and workers

Fees

You don’t have to pay fees for any of the below:

temporary resident visa
open work permit
study permit
temporary resident permit
biometrics

You’ll need to pay fees for your chest x-ray and blood test if you’re told to get one.

Find out more about fees that are being waived

Working and studying in Canada

Working in Canada

The CUAET gives you the option to apply for a visitor visa and an open work permit at the same time. This work permit is fee-exempt and will let you work for most employers in Canada.

Find out how to apply for the open work permit