Foreign citizens and stateless persons who turn out to be residents of Ukraine or relatives of Ukrainians can apply for temporary protection in Portugal after the war, according to a resolution of the Council of Ministers published this Wednesday in Diário da República.
The government has revised the specific criteria for granting temporary protection to people displaced from Ukraine, which now includes spouses of Ukrainian nationals or de facto partners for at least two years, as well as their children and other close relatives living in the same household and “to be wholly or largely dependent on a Ukrainian citizen”.
In the resolution, the government states that “the war in Ukraine has given rise to the largest movement of displaced persons since World War II”, with Portugal being one of the countries of destination for tens of thousands of people who “sought and found protection for themselves”. and for their families” in the country.
“More than nine months after the outbreak of the war, it is justified to review the resolution that granted the status of temporary protection, with automatic granting of a residence permit, for a period of one year, and to adapt it to the current characteristics of the armed conflict, specifics of migratory flows and the needs of people in need of support,” the document reads.
The revision of the criteria also includes persons of other nationalities and stateless persons who are found to be members of the family of Ukrainians or who are found to be permanent residents of Ukraine and whose safe and sustainable return to their country of nationality is not possible.
Close relatives living in a common area and who are wholly or largely dependent on the Ukrainian relative are also covered.
Portugal has granted temporary protection to 56,272 people fleeing war in Ukraine until Dec. 21, according to a balance sheet released by the Council of Ministers on Thursday.
At the time, the executive said nearly €22 million had already been paid “as social benefits so that those who arrive have the means to live with dignity”.
Source: DN
