What are the opportunities and living conditions for Ukrainian citizens in Sweden?
After arriving in Sweden, citizens of Ukraine can:
1. Live in Sweden as tourists on the basis of a visa-free regime for 90 days within a 180-day period.
2. Obtain the status of temporary protection.
You can get a residence permit with temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive if you:
· is a citizen of Ukraine and lived in Ukraine,
· or have a status or residence permit as a person in need of protection in Ukraine,
· or is an accompanying family member of one of the two mentioned above.
You may be entitled to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive if you arrived in Sweden on or after 30.10.2021 and you do not yet have a residence permit that allows you to register at an address in Sweden.
You can apply for a residence permit in Sweden with temporary protection online or in person by visiting an office of the Swedish Migration Agency.
The electronic service for obtaining a residence permit in accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive is available at the link here.
Currently, temporary protection is valid until 04.03.2025. If the security situation in Ukraine improves to such an extent that the EU decides to end the Temporary Protection Directive earlier, the Swedish Migration Agency will cancel your permit.
More information on applying for temporary protection at the link: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/About-the-Migration-Agency/About-the-website/Other-languages/Ukrainska/Direktiva-pro-timcasovij-zahist/Podati-zaavu-pro-timcasovij-zahist-persij-raz.html.
Persons who have received temporary protection have the right to:
1) residence in Sweden;
2) help with housing;
3) financial support;
4) emergency medical care;
5) education;
6) work.
3. If you do not meet the requirements for temporary protection but still need protection in Sweden, you can apply for asylum at the Swedish Migration Agency.
This applies, for example, to those who arrived in Sweden before 30.10.2021, as well as to those who fled the war in Ukraine, but do not belong to any of the groups of persons entitled to temporary protection.
Such a request is always considered on an individual basis.
Asylum can be received by refugees or persons who need additional protection.
A refugee is a person who has reasonable grounds to fear becoming a victim of persecution because of race, nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation or membership in a certain social group.
Persons in need of additional protection are those who may be sentenced to death; are at risk of corporal punishment, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or how civilians are at risk of serious injury as a result of armed conflict.
More information about the application for asylum can be found at the link: here.
Persons granted asylum have the right to:
1) residence in Sweden;
2) help with housing;
3) emergency medical and dental care;
4) financial assistance;
5) work;
6) education.
4. Other grounds for obtaining a residence permit.
Other reasons for obtaining a residence permit in Sweden are, for example, a residence permit for work, study or living with a family in Sweden. The requirements for obtaining a residence permit are different depending on the type of permit you are applying for. In most cases, you need to be outside Sweden to get a residence permit. Read more about the different types of residence permits at the link: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals.html.
