Settlement agencies are preparing for the arrival of tens of thousands of Ukrainians before the expiration of emergency visas for those fleeing the Russian invasion at the end of March.

The federal government has issued 936,293 temporary emergency visas since March 2022 to Ukrainians who wish to work or study in Canada while awaiting post-war conditions.

A total of 210,178 people had traveled to Canada as of November 28.

Up to 90,000 emergency visa holders are considering coming before the deadline, according to pre-arrival surveys conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Safe Haven operation in Ukraine.

Sarosh Rizvi, Executive Director of the Safe Haven operation in Ukraine, said this would represent a significant increase in the number of new Ukrainian arrivals compared to previous months.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, millions fled the country seeking safety, and Canada took an exceptional approach by opening its doors to an unlimited number of Ukrainians and their families through the new emergency visa program.

Compared to what is available to those arriving as typical refugees, there was less integrated support to help new Ukrainian arrivals stand on their own feet. Instead, community members rushed to donate clothes and furniture, companies offered jobs to people, and some even opened their homes.

Now, as Ukraine approaches the second anniversary of the invasion, that wave of support has diminished.

Rizvi said in an interview on Wednesday, "We don't have the level of public interest that we had two years ago."

He added that instead, the response has become more institutional. This means the settlement sector is now better prepared to respond, but the expected influx will exhaust its capacity.

He continued, "I think every element is about to be tested," from settlement staff to hotel capacity and even food banks, and that the other challenge is finding places to live.

He said, "There is no major response to that at this time; there is still a need and it is still being dealt with on an individual basis."

The organization encourages those choosing to come before the deadline to consider settling in smaller communities where housing is easier to find and affordable.