Ukrainian family application stalled for 2 years in Winnipeg state candidate – Winnipeg

Staying in Canada is a must for a Ukrainian family in Winnipeg.

Oleksandra and Roman Boris have been in the country for two and a half years, and their families are still waiting to find out if they qualify for the provincial candidate program.

The family came to Winnipeg from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and Oleksandra said the comparison couldn’t be more stark.

“Right now, Russia is beating Ukraine every day, so it’s really dangerous there,” she said. “Every day. Every day someone dies (there), it’s like the lottery – you never know if you’re going to be next.”

You feel good (in Winnipeg) with all these friendly people. You feel respected and cared for by people.

The family applied for the provincial candidate program two years ago, but their application is still on hold. Many friends who applied at the same time were accepted.

The couple have two daughters, 9 and 18, the youngest of whom, Yuliana, has special needs and uses a wheelchair. According to Oleksandra, the education system in this country is enlightening and one of the main reasons why they hope to stay in Canada.

“The most important thing is that she can get some education here in Canada, and she never had that choice in Ukraine,” she said.

Roman added that even if the war ends, the family’s roots here are too strong to leave. He feels that their daughter is more supported and accepted than she was back in Ukraine.

Now trending

• Amazon to close all 7 Quebec warehouses, union says

• Trump said the Canadian tariffs had nothing to do with forcing trade talks.

“When we came to Canada, I saw that all the doors could be opened with a button. So if you’re in a wheelchair, you can open any door. It’s open to anyone in a wheelchair,” Roman said. “You don’t have that in Ukraine.”

In a statement on the situation, Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino said she had instructed her staff to watch out for long delays that “appear to be beyond normal processing times.” The county says they aim to process applications within months, but it often takes longer.

A Winnipeg immigration lawyer says the cuts to the provincial nominee program could mean challenges for immigrants coming to Manitoba, as well as certain labor markets.

“There is no easy solution to this,” Alastair Clark of Clark Immigration Law told Global Winnipeg.

“In our line of work, a lot of what we do is trying to manage people’s needs and dealing with high levels of anxiety and depression. People are very upset.”

& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.