Third-country nationals from Ukraine no longer have the right to asylum in the Netherlands. They must leave the country by April 1 or apply for international protection.
This was reported by nltimes.nl and nos.nl.
Since March 4, 2024, the Netherlands has ceased to protect third-country nationals who were temporarily residing in Ukraine as of February 24, 2022. This affects approximately 2,540 individuals. They will be allowed to stay in municipal shelters and receive meals for an additional 28 days after March 4.
However, they will no longer be permitted to work or receive free medical treatment. Third-country nationals are individuals who lived in Ukraine with temporary residence permits at the start of the war. They are foreigners who worked or studied in Ukraine before the war, holding temporary residence permits. They must either apply for asylum or another form of residence permit, or leave the Netherlands. They have until April 1, 2024, to leave the country. By that time, refugees must quit their jobs, close bank accounts, and deregister from the municipality.
For those departing, the government provides assistance of €5,000. Currently, around a hundred third-country nationals have staged a protest against deportation. It is worth noting that Ukrainians who left due to Russia’s full-scale invasion will be able to remain in the UK until September 2026 after obtaining an 18-month visa under a new extension scheme.
