Resources for People Affected by the Conflict in Ukraine

All levels of government are working hard to ensure people affected by the conflict in Ukraine have access to the services and supports they need to settle here.

Government of Canada

Visit the Government of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website to learn about  actions taken at the federal level to support temporary resettlement and to find information on:

• Canadian citizens and residents
  • Returning to Canada
  • Bringing family members to Canada
  • How can you help
• Ukrainian nationals and their family members
  • Applying for the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel
  • Applying to immigrate to Canada
  • Travel, testing and borders information
  • Extending your stay or restoring your status in Canada
• Accessing federal financial support
  • To help Ukrainians in Canada meet their basic needs, the Canadian Government has introduced the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI). The CUTAI application is available online. Parents and guardians can submit one application for themselves, a spouse, and dependents.

Popular questions and answers are regularly being added to IRCC’s Help Centre. You can also contact IRCC by phone at 613-321-4243.

Ontario

The Province of Ontario also provides helpful immigration and settlement support information on its website, including information about:

• Immigrating from Ukraine
• Resources and supports for Ukrainian newcomers
  • Getting help with the immigration process
  • Getting settled in Ontario
  • Emergency income supports
  • Health care
  • School
• Employment supports
  • Employment Ontario
  • Ontario Job Bank
  • Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
• How Ontarians can help

The Ontario Ministry of Health provides new refugees and people arriving through other exceptional humanitarian authorizations, such as the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel, with a toll-free, multi-lingual Refugee HealthLine. Newcomers, sponsors and settlement agencies can contact the Refugee HealthLine at 1-866-286-4770 to find a matching healthcare provider for services funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), the Interim Federal Health Program or through provincial programs, including but not limited to:

• Primary care providers (e.g., refugee health clinics, community health centres, family health teams, nurse practitioner-led clinics, midwifery practices, physician practices, walk-in clinics)
• Specialists (e.g., obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and psychiatry)
• Mental health service providers
• Optometrists

The Refugee HealthLine will refer individuals and agencies to the closest providers that can accept eligible patients for transitional care.

York Region is coordinating local efforts to support Ukrainian arrivals:

• Information sharing and outreach
• Collaboration with service providers and key organizations in the Ukrainian community
• Identifying gaps in settlement support systems and opportunities to address them

Within York Region, many partners work together to provide programs and services to people who have recently arrived in Canada, Ontario, and the Region.

York Region has developed downloadable information resource that can be printed or shared online. 

Other supports include:

Welcome Centres

York Region has five accessible hubs known as Welcome Centres hat help immigrants settle and integrate into Canada and provide a range of settlement-related services and information under one roof, including referrals to social services, transit support, housing, settlement services, employment supports, Accreditation Qualification and Information Services (AQIS), language interpretation, e-learning language classes and enhanced language training.

Welcome Centres are located along public transit routes and may provide services in languages other than English.

For individual Welcome Centre program calendars and specific services, call 1-877-761-1155 or visit a location near you:

• Markham North Welcome Centre
  8400 Woodbine Avenue, Units 102-103
  Markham, L3R 4N7
  Phone: 289-846-3645
• Markham South Welcome Centre
  7220 Kennedy Road, Unit 8
  Markham, L3R 7P2 
  Phone: 905-479-7926  
• Newmarket Welcome Centre
  16655 Yonge Street, Unit 26
  Newmarket, L3X 1V6
  Phone: 289-841-3032
• Richmond Hill Welcome Centre
  9325 Yonge Street, Unit 31A
  Richmond Hill, L4C 0A8
  Phone: 289-842-3124
• Vaughan Welcome Centre
  9100 Jane Street, Unit 56
  Vaughan, L4K 0A4
  Phone: 905-761-1155

Newcomer Services and Newcomer Guide

York Region’s Newcomer Services webpage provides information to help newcomers settle in York Region. Another helpful resource is York Region’s Newcomer Guide (English/French/Ukrainian) provides information about:

• Arriving - Finding settlement programs and resources
• Moving Around - Using public transportation
• Living - Finding a place to stay and to live
• Staying Healthy - Accessing healthcare
• Learning - Registering children in school or finding language classes
• Working - Finding a job and working in York Region
• Staying Safe - Getting to know York Region’s emergency services
• Having Fun - Enjoying the many things to see and do in York Region
• Municipal Government - Learning more about York Region’s local government

Access York

As York Region’s contact center, Access York responds to inquiries about programs and may be able to help with emergency income assistance, licensed child care, vaccinations, the child care fee subsidy, and more.

Contact Access York by:

• Phone: 1-877-464-9675, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Access York Customer Experience Associates can connect callers to translation services (160 different languages), if necessary.
• Email: @email

 Access York is closed on weekends and statutory holidays.

Ukrainian arrivals are eligible to access services and support aimed at helping them settle in their new communities, including:

• Ukrainian Canadian Congress
  The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is an umbrella group of national, provincial and local Ukrainian Canadian organizations. UCC has curated a list of newcomer resources in Ukrainian.
• Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society
  The Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society is currently providing settlement support for Ukrainian arrivals, such as:
  • English-language training
  • Information and orientation services
  • Help filling out applications and forms, referrals to housing, health, employment and other government and community services
  • Translation and interpretation support
    
    For more information please contact: 416-767-4595 or @email
• Ukrainian Canadian Social Services
  Ukrainian Canadian Social Services provides programs and services for members of the Ukrainian ethno-cultural community in culturally sensitive ways. Services include housing support, orientation and settlement services, mental health services, translation and interpretation, and more.
• Settlement.org 
  Settlement.org is a website that provides information related to immigrating, settling, and living in Ontario. The Services Near Me tool provides a listing of local settlement agencies and supports. The Discussion Forum feature will enable you to pose questions and receive responses.

Sponsor Individuals and Families

Canadians and permanent residents can play a key role in helping refugees who require resettlement. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees program lets private groups sponsor eligible refugees abroad.

Donate

Many refugees need extra help getting settled in Canada. Organizations actively support people within Ukraine and refugees seeking safety with medical and humanitarian aid. Here are some organizations that Canadians can donate to help Ukrainians:

• The Canadian Red Cross has launched Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal to support those affected by the ongoing conflict in the country. Learn more.
• The Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress have established the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to support Ukrainians displaced from their homes. Visit Canada-Ukraine Foundation
• The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is accepting financial and in-kind donations to support the settlement of Ukrainian arrivals.
• The Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society is collecting donations for Ukrainian students studying in Canada who require financial support. Visit Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society to learn more about this initiative.
• Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) is accepting a range of donations to support the arrival of newcomers and displaced Ukrainians in Ontario. Visit the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society to find the appropriate application forms to donate goods, services, employment, or housing.

York Region is not affiliated with any individual organizations, nor is it collecting financial or other types of donations on behalf of these organizations. Residents should contact the organization of choice directly.

Offer Housing

If you are interested in providing volunteer housing assistance, please email COSTI at @email or visit the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) website and complete the Housing Assistance for Newcomers Form

Hire Newcomers

Many immigrants and refugees are skilled. If you are an employer, you can connect with local Welcome Centre employment services to reach newcomers looking for work. Employers wishing to support Ukrainians through offers of employment can also register available jobs using Job Bank’s Jobs for Ukraine webpage.

The inclusion of diverse perspectives is a powerful enabler of business performance. The Strategies for Immigrant Inclusion in Canadian Workplace features easy-to-implement strategies that can support business efforts.

Volunteer

Ukrainians and refugees access many social and community service organizations in York Region. Volunteering at community service organizations will benefit Ukrainians and others in meaningful ways. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is currently accepting volunteers to support Ukrainian arrivals.

Be a Welcoming and Inclusive Community Member

For people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, arriving in a new community can be stressful. Being welcoming and inclusive can help make our newest residents feel they can belong as they get to know their new community and make friends.

Learn More

The National Newcomer Navigation Network developed a resource toolkit that provides context about the current crisis that may assist service providers in helping newcomers connect with the Ukrainian-Canadian community and understand immigration options available to them.