Thousands of Ukrainians have already been approved to immigrate to Canada, and that’s just since the conflict with Russia started.

”We expected upon reports of a potential further invasion into Ukraine that we would see displacement of Ukrainians,” says Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

”That’s why we started preparing more than a month ago to ensure we had the ability to respond to a potential influx of people seeking to come to Canada.”

Fraser says Canada has installed extra resources in offices in Poland, Romania and Austria to be better equipped to handle applications.

“Our goal is to identify the best path forward to allow more Ukrainians to come to Canada easily and safely,” adds the minister.

The government has also extended temporary status to Ukrainians, who are already in Canada on work, visitor and student permits and cannot return home.