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Immigrate to Italy from Ukraine

Immigrate to Italy from Ukraine

In general, persons who want to immigrate to Italy from Ukraine have to follow the standard immigration rules imposed by the Italian immigration law

This implies that Ukrainians have to apply for visas for short stays or long stays, issued for a specific purpose (work, family reunification, travel, etc.). 

Thus, Ukrainians can obtain a visa for stays of up to 90 days, or visas that allow living in Italy for a period of minimum 90 days. 

However, in the context of the war currently taking place in UkraineUkrainians benefit from a straightforward method that helps them immigrate here as refugees. 

What is the current law for Ukrainians moving to Italy? 

Most of the persons who immigrate to Italy from Ukraine arrive here as a consequence of the war in their home country. 

Because of this, the Italian authorities, along with the authorities of the European Union (EU), enacted urgent immigration procedures that allow a simple access to the EU territory to Ukrainians, who arrive here as refugees. 

Each EU member state has created specific immigration procedures and has provided different types of assistance to Ukrainians, but all member states follow the protocols of the 2001 Temporary Protection Directive

The Directive was adopted at an EU level on 4th of March 2022, shortly after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which started on 24th of February 2022. 

Consequently, the law on immigration to Italy was modified in order to apply the conditions prescribed by the Directive, which is created especially for exceptional migration situations

According to the European Commission, one of the most important rights offered to foreigners who are in an exceptional situation is the right to a residence permit, for a period of minimum 1 year to maximum 3 years. 

For Ukrainians who immigrate to Italy from Ukraine, the Italian authorities have decided to directly issue a residence permit, without the need to apply for a visa, for a period of 1 year. 

Our immigration lawyers in Italycan present more details on any of the current immigration proceduresUkrainians benefit from additional rights, as per the rules of immigration to Italy, which implement the EU law. Some of the basic rights are: 

  1. access to the asylum protection procedures applicable in Italy
  2. the right to work in Italy and to obtain the same work benefits available for local citizens;
  3. access to medical care, accommodation and housing; 
  4. the right to enter the education system for children and minors with an age below 18 years old;
  5. the right to reunite with other family members; 
  6. the right to move to other EU member states, etc. 

Our immigration lawyers can also help you if you want to get permanent residency in Italy after moving there.

What are the conditions created for Ukrainian refugees in Italy? 

Persons who arrive as refugees in Italy can automatically obtain certain benefits, that were enforced by the Italian authorities after the beginning of the war. 

Below, persons interested in this can find some of the benefits granted under the Italian immigration law

  • at the end of March 2022, the Italian Department for Civil Protection established that each individual from Ukraine will receive a financial assistance of EUR 300; 
  • this help shall be granted on a monthly basis, for a period of 3 months since the arrival in Italy
  • additionally, persons who arrive here with minors under the age of 18 years old will receive a bonus of EUR 150 per each dependent child; 
  • all persons who will immigrate to Italy from Ukraine as refugees will be issued with a residence permit with a validity of 1 year, at the end of which, if necessary, it can be renewed;
  • by 29th of March 2022, there were more than 71,000 Ukrainians who relocated to Italy as refugees – more than 37,000 were women, 28,000 were minors and approximately 6,000, men. 

 If you need more information, we invite you to contact our immigration lawyers in Italy for legal advice and assistance. 

In case you need assistance on the citizenship routes, such as citizenship by descent, you can also contact our team, who can represent you in the process of acquiring citizenship in Italy.

Please mind that the procedure can be complex, as at first, the authorities must determine when your ancestor was/became an Italian national and in this sense, there are 6 categories of citizens.