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 Ukraine, Ukrainians benefit from a straightforward method that helps them immigrate here as refugees.
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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 procedures. Ukrainians benefit from additional rights, as per the rules of immigration to Italy, which implement the EU law. Some of the basic rights are:
Our immigration lawyers can also help you if you want to get permanent residency in Italy after moving there.
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:
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.