'It was very, very kind': Ukrainian refugees praise reception, ponder future in Saskatchewan

Alina Shylan came to Canada from Ukraine as a government sponsored refugee in July 2022. Before the war began, she worked in Kiev as a consultant at a radio station. 

Shylan said the first thing she remembers from her arrival is how well welcoming Regina's community was from the moment she landed at the airport. 

"People were very warm and welcome," she said. "We felt like we are like in a small family in Canada. So it was very, very kind."

She praised the support she and other refugees received when they first arrived. She was quickly able to open a bank account, receive a social security number and register for English language courses.

Shylan now works in a casual position with the City of Regina, but said she is seeking ways to become a permanent resident.

"Of course Ukrainians want to go back," she said. "But the war will not stop. And even if stopped today, in five years it can continue when Putin is recharged."

On Tuesday, American officials announced that Ukraine had accepted a 30-day ceasefire deal during negotiations in Saudi Arabia. They are now awaiting a Russian response to the proposal.

In the meantime, many Ukrainian refugees in Saskatchewan are waiting to see how they can stay in the province. 

On Feb. 18, the Saskatchewan government paused the intake of new job approvals for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SNIP). The program is used by many immigrants and refugees, including Ukrainians, to find full-time work and build a path toward permanent residency.

In a statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career training said the pause was a result of the federal government cutting provincial nominee program allocations by 50 per cent. 

On Feb. 27, the federal government announced it was extending visas to Mar. 31, 2026, for Ukrainians in the country under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa. The move gave Ukrainian refugees another year to apply for or renew work and study permits.

Drew Wilby, Saskatchewan's deputy minister of immigration and career training, said the federal government should open up more pathways for Ukrainian refugees to come to the province.

He said about 8,000 Ukrainians have come to Saskatchewan since the war began. Of those, more than 600 of them have gained permanent residency, 550 of them through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. 

"We'll continue to do that and prioritize those folks that do apply into that SINP program once we've released the slight pause that we're undergoing right now to accommodate the federal changes to our provincial programs," he said. 

A deep well of support

Much of the support that refugees like Shylan received when they first arrived were the work of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which has provided a suite of accommodations for Ukrainian newcomers since the war began. 

Elena Krueger became president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan just two weeks before the Russian invasion, and helped organize a pivot from primarily promoting cultural programming for Ukrainian Canadians to marshalling volunteers to provide resources to waves of refugees. 

"Things just really exploded," she said. "Suddenly we were meeting all the time. How can we help people? What's our next step? How will we organize opportunities for people to find shelter?"

Krueger credits Saskatchewan's large Ukrainian community as the backbone of the effort. According to the 2021 Canadian census, about 140,000 people in Saskatchewan claim Ukrainian ancestry.

"There's that family feeling, that connection to community, that warm welcome," she said.

"People feel that they belong, that they matter, and that there's real support for one another."