A new Canada-Ukraine Mobility Working Group is being established to identify and improve mobility opportunities for Ukrainians seeking to come to Canada, once COVID-19 restrictions are removed, as announced by Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
This mobility working group will let Canada and Ukraine share best practices on migration management, increase recruitment, promote Canada's economic immigration programs and further strengthen cooperation on migration-related matters, Yahoo Finance reports.
Read alsoCanadian PM Trudeau issues statement on Holodomor Memorial DayThrough this group, Canada and Ukraine will also work together to finalize a youth mobility agreement that will provide Canadian and Ukrainian youth with opportunities to travel, once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
"Through generations of Ukrainians who have made Canada their home, the Ukrainian-Canadian community continues to make outstanding contributions to Canada's economy, our society and our diverse cultural fabric. The unique partnership that we are announcing today will serve to further strengthen the deep-rooted, people-to-people ties between our two countries," the minister said.
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There are more than 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent.
The CAN+ program was rolled out in Ukraine in 2017. Applications that show that the applicant traveled to Canada in the last 10 years or holds a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa will be sent to the visa office for processing.
Since January 2014, Canada has committed more than $800 million in multifaceted support to Ukraine, encompassing a broad range of financial, development, stabilization and security, non-lethal military and humanitarian assistance.
Canada's support of the military training and capacity-building mission in Ukraine, Operation UNIFIER, launched in September 2015. It is a key part of Canada's overall effort to aid Ukraine's security, stability and sovereignty.
The 2017 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement eliminated tariffs on 86% of Canada's merchandise exports to Ukraine.
In 2019, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Ukraine was approximately $300 million.
