CANADA MAY be the final destination for many Russians and Ukrainians fleeing a war zone. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)
Canadian immigration authorities are bracing for a wave of Russians who fled their homeland due to the war with Ukraine and may show up here as immigrants or refugees.
A report by Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) estimate more than 200,000 Russians fled their homeland due to the war with Ukraine and forced military conscription.
RUSSIANS FLEEING war and conscription at home find other countries, like Canada, to resettle. Courtesy photo.
The internal report called ‘The Exodus: Russians Fleeing Rising Authoritarianism and Upcoming Severe Economic Hardships’ was prepared last March for IRCC brass in Ottawa.
The report said Russian authorities have not released data about the number of their citizens who fled the country since the war began last February 24.
“It is estimated that the number is likely in the hundreds of thousands,’ according to the study. “Most are relatively young, highly educated and have good English skills.”
An estimate by a Russian economist claimed more than 200,000 Russians have fled since the war.
FLEEING PUTIN’s war and heading for freedom . Courtesy photo.
“People leaving are generally those who can afford to, including Russia’s well-educated urban middle-class,” federal officials were told. “Many are tech professionals who can work remotely. Others are in the academic or financial sectors.”
The report said many Russians have managed to reach Europe by crossing the land border to Finland or the Baltic states since international flights are now limited.
“The others mostly head to Georgia and Armenia, but also to Kazakhstan, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, where an entry visa is not required,” according to the report. “Many of them might be looking for a long-term solution in a Western country in the near future.”
It said Russian-issued credit cards are no longer accepted as a federal government payment system and this can cause delays as they find alternative ways to pay.
“The number of applications submitted by Russian nationals might further increase in the coming weeks,” the report warned.
Canadian immigration officials in Russia will closely monitor the situation in regard “to potential Russian inland asylum claims or potential overseas refugee applications.”
This year there were nine times more work permit applications from Russian citizens compared to 2019 with 3,456 versus 364 in 2019. The number of work permits granted quadrupled from 1,053 in 2022 versus 229 in 2019.