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They escaped war. And the world failed them.
NOT REFUGEES is a timely and emotionally charged documentary that exposes one of the most overlooked humanitarian dilemmas of our time: what happens after a country opens its doors — but stops short of letting you stay?
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions of Ukrainians fled their homes in search of safety. Thousands arrived in Canada under emergency measures like the CUAET program. They were offered temporary work permits, not refugee status or pathways to obtain permanent residence. A roof over their heads — but no right to remain. A system that welcomed them on paper, then left them in limbo.
This film follows the deeply human stories of displaced families trying to rebuild their lives from scratch — raising children, working jobs, paying taxes — while living with the daily fear that everything they’ve built could vanish in an instant.
We meet Cathy, a Canadian woman who opened her heart and home to twelve displaced children. And David, a construction boss whose Ukrainian workers are rebuilding Canada’s Parliament — but have no pathway to stay in the country they are helping to restore.
Without a direct route to permanent residency, most rely on slow, uncertain “humanitarian and compassionate” applications. Despite doing everything right, these families live without clarity, security, or a future they can plan for.
NOT REFUGEES is more than a documentary. It’s a cinematic wake-up call — a call to rethink what refuge truly means in a world where shelter does not guarantee belonging, and compassion must stretch further than policy.
They escaped war. And the world failed them.
NOT REFUGEES is a timely and emotionally charged documentary that exposes one of the most overlooked humanitarian dilemmas of our time: what happens after a country opens its doors — but stops short of letting you stay?
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions of Ukrainians fled their homes in search of safety. Thousands arrived in Canada under emergency measures like the CUAET program. They were offered temporary work permits, not refugee status or pathways to obtain permanent residence. A roof over their heads — but no right to remain. A system that welcomed them on paper, then left them in limbo.
This film follows the deeply human stories of displaced families trying to rebuild their lives from scratch — raising children, working jobs, paying taxes — while living with the daily fear that everything they’ve built could vanish in an instant.
We meet Cathy, a Canadian woman who opened her heart and home to twelve displaced children. And David, a construction boss whose Ukrainian workers are rebuilding Canada’s Parliament — but have no pathway to stay in the country they are helping to restore.
Without a direct route to permanent residency, most rely on slow, uncertain “humanitarian and compassionate” applications. Despite doing everything right, these families live without clarity, security, or a future they can plan for.
NOT REFUGEES is more than a documentary. It’s a cinematic wake-up call — a call to rethink what refuge truly means in a world where shelter does not guarantee belonging, and compassion must stretch further than policy.