b'GLOBAL SPOTLIGHTbefore and after, says Rych. Under thetheir teams coming to Ukraine. And weimmigration, with Immigration, Refugees shock of the Russian full-scale invasion ofcontinue to check the safety of expats prop- and Citizenship Canada. For example, if Ukraine, the plans of Ukraine-based busi- erties, says Rych. you want to enhance trade and services, nesses were firstly concentrated on helpingyou have to allow the people who are deliv-and supporting each other. The main prior- CANADIAN HELP ering those services to come to Canada ities were to save workplaces for employeesFor its part, the Government of Canada hasto work. The chapter on temporary entry and ensure safety and financial stability forimplemented the Canada-Ukraine author- addresses that.the defence potential of the country. ization for emergency travel (CUAET) Rych points out that by the time of theprogram, designed to make it easier forA typical trade agreement would cover Russian invasion, Ukrainians had alreadyUkrainians to enter Canada to live andseveral categories of business people, and adapted to disruption, partly due to earlierwork, and for Canadians to conduct busi- usually include inter-company transferees stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War, whichness in and with Ukraine. Canadian and(ICTs) who might be expected to remain in has been underway since 2014 with theUkrainian officials are also engaged inthe country for a temporary period of up occupation of Crimea and fighting in thenegotiations for the modernization of theto about seven years. Other categories that eastern Donbas region, and partly due toCanada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreementmight be covered are business visitors who the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The(CUFTA), the scope of which includes atravel for a much shorter visit to participate personal leadership of managers and thepotential new chapter on temporary entry. in meetings, conferences or investigations; cohesion of teams have played significantCUAET offers Ukrainians and their familyprofessionals relocating to deliver services, roles in helping to resist. Moreover, themembers of any nationality free, extendedsuch as engineers working on a construc-government is still regularly implementingtemporary status and allows them to work,tion project; and investors engaged in a additional tax incentives, financial andstudy and stay in Canada until it is safe forsubstantial undertaking that might be export programs, grants to support businessthem to return home. Under the CUAETexpected to create jobs.during wartime, Rych says. program, Ukrainians can stay in Canada for three years, as opposed to the standardA temporary entry chapter in a modernized Unfortunately, it cannot be stated thatsix-month authorized stay for regularagreement would facilitate these types of the positive tendency of successful resist- visitors, and they may apply for an openactivities and remove some of the poten-ance is observed over the whole businesswork permit to enable them to find worktial barriers, such as labour market tests, community, Rych continues. Militaryquickly. Study opportunities are economic needs tests or numerical restric-actions, massive missile attacks and black- likewise expedited. tions, on a reciprocal basis.outs have forced a lot of enterprises to stagnate and to close their manufacturing.CUAET is a temporary program that lever- Negotiations are currently underway, and Businesses have taken several steps back.ages the existing temporary resident visawhile no firm date has been set for comple-Every single sphere in Ukraine has facedprocesses, networks and infrastructure totion, One could anticipate that negotia-a new reality since the start of the full- bring as many Ukrainians into Canadations would conclude sometime this year, scale Russian invasion. Nevertheless, suchas quickly as possible. It streamlines thewith ratification and implementation to economic difficulties have just hardenedcurrent visa and travel requirements andfollow, says Newcombe.Ukrainian society. eliminates most application and processing Rych points out that COVID-preparedfees in order to offer accelerated, priori- Under wartime conditions, the Canada-businesses, especially the tech sector, hadtized processing. It was initially scheduledUkraine Free Trade Agreement will adapted to communicating and processingto expire on March 31, 2023, but theprovide fresh opportunities and new ways documents remotely, while residents haveCanadian government has stated it willand horizons of development for businesses become used to storing critical documentsadapt its response as needed after that time. of both parties in various term perspectives. on their smartphones via the governmentsAlso, in January 2022, the Canadian andThe agreement will contribute to economic Diya app. They have likewise learned to beUkrainian governments announced thatgrowth and establish even more stable part-resilient in dealing with frequent they would be modernizing CUFTA. Thenerships, says Rych.power outages. free trade agreement already in place, In Ukraine, the relationship between At ABEA, many changes have beenwhich entered into force in August 2017,business and society has undergone a trans-made to accommodate evolving clientis comprehensive from a trade in goodsformation. Ukrainians are already thinking needs. Initially, international companiesperspective, but it does not include chaptersabout the future, even during the active and consulates rushed to evacuate theiron services and investment. As such, offi- phase of hostilities. The Ukrainian govern-non-Ukrainian employees, and ABEAscials are seeking to expand the agreementment and business are creating a recovery relocation experts were working to resolvewith new or updated chapters on services,plan that includes stability, restoration and cancelled residential documents and toinvestment, temporary entry, governmentmodernization stages focusing on modern assist in remote moving and storage ofprocurement, inclusive trade, labour andstandards and functionality, says Rych.personal goods. environment, among others. The company also introduced new servicesThese negotiations will be of particularOf course, nobody forgets about the to support staff who remained in Ukraineinterest to the relocation industry, as theforeign investors who will play an activemainly menincluding military-recordaddition of a temporary entry chapterrole in the further progress of Ukraine-supervision and human-resources adminis- would facilitate movement of business- based business and the economy in tration for international businesses. At thepeople in both directions between the twogeneral, Rych adds. Its pleasant to moment, we also provide constant consulta- countries. In our comprehensive traderealize that Ukraine is perceived as an tion on set-up of new NGOs, legalizationagreements, there is typically a chapter oninfluential global player. The war and of documents for Ukrainians who have leftthe temporary entry of business persons,postwar reconstruction of Ukraine will be the country, and support for journalists andsays Mark Newcombe, senior advisor,the main topic over the next 10 years.Spring 2023PERSPECTIVES15'