Many Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia are worried they will not be able to stay in Canada.

Advocates say they face a lot of barriers to long-term jobs because of the uncertainty of work permits.

Iryna Tytska says she and her family have lived in Nova Scotia for several years, so their life is here now.

“We don’t want to be sent back after settling here and having jobs and friends and families,” said Tytska.

Groups like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress want the feds to create a special path to permanent residency for Ukrainians.

Many came to the country using visas they got through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

“Many CUAET visa holders report that in addition to not knowing if and when the war in Ukraine will end, the inability to work in Canada uninterrupted and into the foreseeable future has been a major source of psychological stress and uncertainty for this group,” wrote Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, in a statement from Oct. 16.

Employers are reluctant to give long-term employment to visa holders, Chyczij says, because of the likelihood that those visas and work permits will expire.

A petition was also initiated in the house of commons by a Liberal MP, Yvan Baker, in October, which also calls for a pathway to permanent residency for Ukrainians who fled the war.

More than 42,000 people have signed it as of Nov. 5.

Tytska says she does not mind waiting through the application process, if there is a hold up with the paperwork for permanent residency, but she wants the peace of mind to know that while she waits, she will not be forced to leave the country.

She says her son has a lot of friends here.

“And he was taken from Ukraine after finishing his first grade, and he had some friends, and he lost them, so I don’t want that to happen again here.”