My research focuses on transnationalism and belonging experiences of Ukrainian asylum seekers in Vancouver, displaced by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. I propose that the asylum seekers’ ties to Ukraine can be seen as enforced – by Canadian state policies and by Russia’s historical colonization of Ukraine and the ongoing colonial war. Canadian state policies, and in particular the CUAET program, force the asylum seekers to maintain ties to Ukraine due to likely having to return to Ukraine after the program elapses. Russia’s colonization of Ukraine forces the asylum seekers to highlight their distinct Ukrainian cultural identity in Vancouver, thereby also maintaining ties to Ukraine. In the context of Canada, which positions itself as multicultural, I seek to investigate how this enforced transnationalism of Ukrainian asylum seekers affects their sense of belonging.