Expired Ukrainian passports? Not anymore: the embassy is heading to St. John's

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

For years, determination was nary mode for Ukrainians successful Newfoundland and Labrador to get captious paperwork without travelling retired of state — but astatine the extremity of March, embassy unit are arriving successful St. John's to chopped those costs. 

With the nearest Ukrainian consulate bureau successful Ottawa, Valentyna Korzhak — who has lived successful St. John's since 2023 – disquieted she wouldn't beryllium capable to get indispensable documents similar a caller passport, visa oregon commencement certificates.

That was a occupation for the parent of young children, on with others who cannot spend to permission the province.

"Expired documents marque beingness adjacent harder," Korzhak said successful an interrogation with CBC News. "They [limit] travel, complicate ineligible presumption ... and it restricts entree to indispensable services."

Korzhak said each the Ukrainian assemblage wanted was for idiosyncratic from the consulate to travel to Newfoundland and Labrador, truthful that radical with expired passports oregon different paperwork tin get backmost connected track. 

Without mobile services, Korzhak said it would outgo her astir $2,000 to spell to the Ontario consulate, enactment successful a edifice and travel back — and she would besides person to instrumentality clip disconnected work.

Due to a backlog of applications amid Russia's warfare connected Ukraine, it mightiness beryllium months earlier radical tin adjacent entree the services they use for successful Ontario, said the occidental Ukraine native.

Korzhak has nary plans of leaving Canada, which is wherefore entree to ineligible documents is truthful important to her.

"I spot a aboriginal for my children here," she said. "I similar to beryllium here."

Setting up shop

In bid for the Embassy of Ukraine to supply services successful Newfoundland and Labrador, it needs a unafraid determination to enactment with delicate documents, said Bruce Lilly of the Avalon subdivision of the Ukrainian Federation of Canada.

"They've got to bash immoderate planning, bash immoderate logistics and align it with the different priorities and past come," said Lilly. 

The website for the Embassy of Ukraine successful Canada says consular services volition beryllium disposable successful St. John's March 30-31. Applications are being accepted until 1 p.m. NT connected March 24.

The nonstop determination of the pop-up is yet to beryllium determined, but Leo Etchegary, manager of connection services astatine the Association for New Canadians, said the embassy has antecedently been hosted astatine a hotel, but they haven't been present for immoderate time.

"We're rather consenting to big radical to travel present and assistance … due to the fact that the clip it takes to travel, of course, and the wealth it takes for that," said Etchegary. "So we're of people ever consenting to assistance our grooming clients by hosting embassy staff."

Etchegary said the ANC tin assistance radical navigate the services they need.

"Regardless of wherever it is, we volition surely bash the aforesaid this time, hopefully," helium said.

WATCH | Legal documents are important for Valentyna Korzha and her family:

Ukrainians connected impermanent presumption successful Canada person had entree to federally-funded colony services specified arsenic connection training, employment counselling and assistance with enrolling children successful schoolhouse since 2022.

That national backing is ending connected March 31, but a connection from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said, "many Ukrainians whitethorn beryllium capable to entree akin programs and services done non-IRCC funded colony work providers, assemblage groups, including Ukrainian Canadian organizations, provincial, territorial and section governments successful the metropolis oregon municipality successful which they live."

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