Automating Positive Decisions for Ukrainian Temporary Resident Applications

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has developed an automated system to help process temporary resident visa (TRV) and work permit (WP) applications submitted under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program. This program was created to respond urgently to the crisis in Ukraine by streamlining the existing temporary resident process. The automated system reviews applications against established eligibility and admissibility criteria and, when all criteria are met, can automatically confirm a positive decision and generate a visa — reducing delays and freeing up IRCC officers to focus on more complex cases.

The system only makes positive decisions: it can approve applications that meet all requirements, but it can never refuse an application or recommend a refusal. Any application that does not pass the automated checks is automatically forwarded to a human IRCC officer for a full, individualized review. Officers may still approve or refuse those applications following normal procedures. This means that no applicant can be negatively impacted by the automated system alone.

Applicants should know that the system uses personal information they submit as part of their application, including biometric data, and that this information is handled in accordance with Canadian privacy law. The rules used by the system are directly linked to legislative and regulatory requirements and have been reviewed by policy, legal, privacy, and operational experts at IRCC. Applicants whose applications are refused — always by a human officer — are entitled to an explanation and have the right to reapply or seek recourse through standard procedural fairness processes.