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IND informs third-country nationals from Ukraine about the asylum process

Last update: 9 June 2023

All third-country nationals from Ukraine who are staying in the Ukraine received a letter in the past few weeks from the Immigration and Naturalisation service (IND) with information on the continuation of their stay. The temporary protection for this group will lapse on 4 September 2023. From that time they will no longer have the same rights as other refugees from Ukraine. The IND wants them to let it know if they want to go through the asylum process in the Netherlands. 

Since the start of the war in Ukraine about 90,000 people from Ukraine have fled to the Netherlands. Approx. 4,500 of them are third-country nationals who originally came from a different country and had temporary residence permits in Ukraine. For example, they studied or worked in Ukraine. 

Continue or withdraw asylum application

When temporary protection was granted under the European Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), an asylum application process was started for all refugees from Ukraine. The handling of these asylum applications will be continued as long as the TPD is applicable. As the temporary protection will end, the IND asks whether third-country nationals want to continue their asylum applications. If so, then information is requested that is needed for the asylum process, such as the language in which someone wants to be interviewed. If they choose to withdraw the asylum application, the IND will close it. If someone does not reply to the letter within two weeks, the IND will send a letter once again containing the intention not to consider the asylum application. If no reply follows in that case, the IND will not consider the application. 

Phased approach

The IND has sent letters to the group of third-country nationals at different times. They started by sending letters and reminders to third-country nationals from so-called safe countries (approx. 1,200 cases) about their asylum applications and afterwards to third-country nationals from Syria and Yemen (approx. 100 cases). The IND is striving to have these applications handled by the end of June 2023. A letter was sent to the other third-country nationals at the end of May. The asylum applications resulting from this will be handled after the end of the TPD on 4 September. 

Clarity more quickly on a number of applications

By sending all letters now, the IND aims to gain timely insight into the number of third-country nationals who want to go through the asylum process as soon as the temporary protection ends. The IND is handling the asylum applications of third-country nationals from Ukraine in phases. The asylum applications that are handled after the temporary protection has ended will not have priority over asylum applications of other asylum seekers.

Third-country nationals from Ukraine can stay lawfully in the Netherlands under the TPD until 4 September. In the letters the IND also refers to the remigration scheme of the Repatriation & Departure Service.