Montréal, Quebec-As part of our commitment to support those fleeing Russia's unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, Canada has secured three charter flights for those who need help travelling to Canada. The Government of Canada continues to work closely with provinces and territories, settlement organizations, and NGOs across the country to support Ukrainians and their family members before, during, and after their arrival in Canada.
Today, a federal charter flight carrying 306 Ukrainians and their family members arrived in Montréal. They were welcomed by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
This flight is the second of three federal charters organized to bring people to Canada as a temporary safe haven. The first federal flight brought 328 Ukrainians to Winnipeg, Manitoba, on May 23, 2022, and a third charter is scheduled to arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on June 2, 2022. The charters were available to Ukrainian nationals and their family members approved through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program. Those arriving on the three charter flights who do not have suitable arrangements will have temporary accommodations for up to 14 nights.
Last week, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees, announced details on transitional financial assistance to help Ukrainian nationals and their family members meet their basic needs upon arrival in Canada. Online applications for this one-time financial support will be available as of June 2, 2022.
To access this financial support, parents and guardians can submit one application for themselves, a spouse, and dependants. Payments will be made through direct deposit, so applicants will need to have a bank account with a Canadian financial institution under the same name as the name of the adult's temporary resident status document (work permit, study permit, temporary resident permit or visitor record).
These charter flights build on other travel support initiatives, including the Ukraine2Canada Travel Fund, through which Canadians and Canadian companies can donate their Aeroplan points to help bring at least 10,000 Ukrainians and their families on flights to Canada.
Photos from today's charter flight, as well as photos of Ukrainians arriving last week in Winnipeg, are available in Dropbox.
