(file/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Refugee support

SARM, province calling for smoother immigration process

Aug 5, 2022 | 6:10 PM

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is asking for better passage of resources ahead of an influx of Ukrainian refugees in the coming weeks.

A second flight from Ukraine is tentatively scheduled to arrive on Aug. 10, bringing in more than 200 additional Ukrainian citizens to the province. That will bring the total number in Saskatchewan since the start of the conflict to more than 1,500.

Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a media release that the federal government should lift health restrictions holding up Ukrainian refugees from entering the workforce. In addition to vaccine and quarantine requirements, those who have not had medical exams prior to arrival may be asked to undergo additional tests by a physician approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). According to the federal government’s website, there are only nine federally approved Panel Physicians in Saskatchewan who are able to provide this service (six in Saskatoon and one in Regina, Prince Albert, and North Battleford respectively).

Once Ukrainians receive their medical exam results, they can apply to IRCC to remove the restrictions from their work permit. To do this, they must re-apply for an open work permit in Canada. Then, IRCC will then issue a new work permit without job restrictions.

Harrison said each additional step is one more barrier for refugees from being able to begin earning a living.

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“We are calling on the federal government to remove these onerous medical restrictions to allow an expedited transition for displaced Ukrainians into the growing Saskatchewan workforce, so they can support their families and secure their financial future right here in Canada,” he said.

“I routinely hear from Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers looking for skilled labour to join their operations,” SARM President Ray Orb added in the release. “Ukraine is known to have strong agricultural ties, and Saskatchewan is poised to welcome those workers that can bring that knowledge and experience here.”

According to the Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre (BIRC) said there’s more than 50 people registered with the centre who have come from Ukraine in 2022.

Chizuru Kishida, Settlement Manager for BIRC, said most of the medical procedures are across the board for any other immigrant group, adding that Ukrainian refugees are getting their immigration process expedited compared to normal length times when it comes to vaccination for COVID-19. However, she noted that there is a concern regarding the prices of medical examinations.

“It’s very expensive, because it can’t be done by just any doctor, they have to be approved by immigration Canada,” Kishida said. “When it’s a few hundred dollars that adds up for immigrant families.”

Streamlining transition

The province also proposed the new Saskatchewan Immigration Accord, a change in policy that would hand Saskatchewan the same authority of immigration that Quebec holds.

“Canada should be focusing its efforts on reducing processing times for applications and let the provinces select immigrants and ensure their effective settlement,” Harrison said.

Annette McGovern, Executive Director at BIRC, told battlefordsNOW that the province’s proposal is aimed at understanding the amount of people coming in to each community. A challenge the centre faces at times is there’s no clear tally of how many people have come to Canada and even to the Battlefords.

“The province is thinking that if they had control and people had to check in with the provincial government, they’d have a complete tally of how many people are let in and where they’re going,” McGovern said.

If this change were to be effective in its goal, this would potentially answer the above questions regarding Ukrainian refugees. McGovern added that existing families and sponsors in the Battlefords are waiting on arrivals, but don’t know if they’re going to be on that flight or not.

“We know how many people come to our area if they come to our centre,” she said. “If they choose not to come, how would we know?”

“As stands, people are going all over the province and it would hopefully make it quicker for processing paperwork.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW