Details about this first round of registration appeared on the website of Miles4Migrants, the American non-profit organization that is providing the logistics for a partnership announced by the Trudeau government in April.
The program, which also involves
However, only a small fraction of the goal will be eligible when registrations open Friday.
Immigration Minister
"I think it's going to be a very successful outcome," Fraser said, adding the plan was to start with 500 to ensure the program works as planned.
Fraser said the non-profit has never operated on such a large scale, but the organization noted in an earlier interview it had worked with
Miles4Migrants says that only Ukrainian nationals who have a residence permit for
According to the most recent data released by the government, 127,153 applications have been approved. The program provides temporary three-year residency in
Miles4Migrants said another organization, its "co-ordinating charity partner" Mosaic, will verify the validity of each registration and contact those seeking a flight by
Initially, the program had been anticipated to start with first flights in May, but the non-profit said it was confirming logistics and the launch was pushed back to early June.
Last April, Canadians were asked to donate Aeroplan points and cash to help fund the free flights.
In addition to its partnership with Miles4Migrants, the federal government has also transported about 900 Ukrainians through three charter flights to
The
"Given the hour, I think that the government has failed in its desire to help Ukrainians set foot on Canadian soil," said
The federal government has not said if other charter flights are planned. Fraser didn't close the door to more federal charter flights, but said the flexibility of commercial flights is preferable as Ukrainians are spread out across
"What we’re seeing right now from a federal point of view is it was helpful to arrange charters," Fraser said. "It’s actually more effective if we can push towards commercial opportunities, particularly through the Miles4Migrants initiative."
For its part, Miles4Migrants writes on its website that “additional tickets will be made available at a later date.”
This report by
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