The federal government announced yesterday that a long-awaited program to help Ukrainians fleeing violence and war apply for permanent residence in Canada will be officially launched this fall.

This announcement came amid rising voices questioning exactly what is expected from those wishing to participate in the program.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement that Ukrainians who fled the war and wish to stay in Canada will be able to apply for permanent residence starting October 23, provided they have temporary resident status and at least one relative is present in Canada.

Eligible relatives include a spouse, common-law partner, parents, grandparents, siblings, and children or grandchildren of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

"As we continue to witness the devastating impact of the illegal invasion (of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin), we remain determined to condemn this crazy violence," Minister Fraser added in his statement.

This announcement coincided with the official end yesterday of another federal program that provided temporary emergency visas to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian military invasion of their country.

Ukrainians and their family members will still be able to apply for a temporary resident visa to visit Canada, but they will have to do so through existing procedures.

Meanwhile, the federal government said it will continue processing emergency visa applications received abroad until the deadline that ended yesterday at no cost. Minister Fraser had extended this program deadline until yesterday in March, as the war in Ukraine entered its second year.

The emergency visa was available to an unlimited number of Ukrainians and allowed them to work and study in Canada for three years as temporary residents, not as refugees.

The minister also said that Ukrainians holding this type of visa have a deadline of March 31, 2024, to come to Canada under the special temporary procedures.

More than 1.1 million Ukrainians applied for a temporary emergency visa. As of July 1 this year, at least 800,000 of them had received this visa, but only about 166,000, approximately 21%, had come to Canada.