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This is what changes for refugees without Ukrainian citizenship

Published at: 2/14/2023, 4:11 PM

The Temporary Protection Directive (RTB) has been extended by 6 months for refugees without Ukrainian citizenship. Do you belong to that group? Below you can read what this means for you.

Will this extension apply to me?

The extension applies to people with temporary residence permits in Ukraine who registered in the Netherlands before 19 July 2022. First, they were allowed to stay in the Netherlands until 4 March 2023. Now they are entitled to 6 more months of protection in the Netherlands.

What does this extension mean for my place at a reception centre, employment, studies and living allowance?

You can stay in municipal or private reception centre until 4 September 2023. You will also keep your rights to medical care, living allowance, education up to the age of 18 and the possibility of employment.

Do I need to do anything myself to extend my stay?

The

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
will soon inform people with a temporary residence permit in Ukraine what you need to do. The IND will ask you to apply for an O-document.

This document can be used to prove that you are entitled to temporary protection after 4 March 2023. The information you receive from the IND explains how to do this.

What happens if I have already applied for asylum?

The IND will start processing these asylum applications from now on.

Are you from a safe country of origin or from Syria or Yemen? The IND gives priority to your application. The IND first processes the 1,200 applications of people from safe countries of origin. In addition, the IND also gives priority to 100 asylum applications from people from Yemen and Syria.

Are you not from a safe country of origin, or Syria or Yemen? The IND will not treat your application with priority. Due to the volume of asylum applications, it may take a long time before your asylum application is processed.

Has your asylum application not been processed by 4 September? Then you will probably have to leave the reception for refugees from Ukraine. You will then go to the regular reception for asylum seekers.

Will I receive financial assistance if I want to return to my country of origin?

If you want to return to your country of origin, you can get financial support. This is called the remigration programme of the Repatriation and Departure Service (DTundefinedV). You can get a financial allowance of €2,000 from them. This is possible until 4 March 2023.

Starting Tuesday 14 February, people who meet the conditions can apply for this on the DTundefinedVundefineds website. In the period after 4 March, you can use the normal return support provided by DTundefinedV and IOM.

What will change on 4 September 2023?

The right to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive lapses. You cannot stay in municipal reception centres for Ukrainian refugees after 4 September.

Have you applied for asylum in the Netherlands? Then from 4 September you will fall under the regulations that apply to asylum seekers. Has your asylum application been definitively rejected? Then you must leave the Netherlands within 28 days.

Who can help me further?

Do you have questions about your personal situation? Please get in touch with your contact person at VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN) or drop by a walk-in consultation hour.