Council introduces temporary protection for individuals fleeing Ukraine

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The European Council has introduced temporary immigration protections for individuals fleeing Ukraine.

Key Points:

• Ukrainian nationals, third-country nationals and stateless persons who resided in Ukraine on or before Feb. 24 may be eligible to benefit from temporary protection.
• Rights under temporary protection include residence, access to the labor market, housing, medication assistance and education for children.
• Individual member states will adopt their own procedures for applying for residence under the temporary protection.
• Temporary protection for individuals fleeing Ukraine will initially be valid for one year and may be extended.

Additional Information: Member states may extend temporary protection to other individuals, including third-country nationals who were living in Ukraine and are unable to return to their country safely and Ukrainians who fled the country not long before Feb. 24.

BAL Analysis: A number of countries have adopted special immigration measures for Ukrainians following Russia’s invasion of the country. The U.S., for example, recently announced that Ukraine would be designated for Temporary Protected Status and has exempted some travelers from COVID-19 entry requirements.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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