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Please note. Informative help in Ukrainian published as of 03/28/2022
Iceland is not part of the EU and therefore the Temporary Protection Directive does not apply to it.
What status can Ukrainians get in Iceland?
Ukrainians arriving in Iceland can stay there as tourists (Iceland is part of the Schengen zone, and with a biometric passport, Ukrainians can stay in the country for 90 days) or request refugee status (submit an application for international protection).
At the same time, we draw your attention to the fact that the Ministry of Justice of Iceland has granted temporary protection to Ukrainians. The Ministry notes that this method is primarily to be able to provide quick and effective assistance, or rather temporary protection, to those fleeing Ukraine, without the reception and assistance of Ukrainians overloading Iceland’s refugee protection system.
Iceland activated Article 44 of the “Foreigners Act” No. 80/2016 immediately, due to the mass exodus following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Art. 44 states that an alien who is part of a group that flees from a certain territory and arrives in the country or is already here when the provisions of this article are applied, it will be possible, after receiving a request for international protection, to be granted protection based on the assessment of the group [refugees in the whole] or the so-called joint protection. This means that a foreigner will be granted a residence permit based on humanitarian considerations, see Art. 74 of the Law on Foreigners No. 80/2016.
A residence permit is issued for one year with the right to renew or extend it for a period of up to three years from the moment the applicant receives the first permit. After that, permission may be granted in accordance with Art. 74, which can be the basis for an indefinite residence permit. After one year with such a permit, which will be the fourth year from the start, a permanent residence permit may be issued if the conditions for maintaining the permit are still valid [ed. continuation of military operations in Ukraine], and the demands of the other side are fulfilled.”
How can a Ukrainian get protection?
A feature of the Icelandic system is that a person’s application for international protection is automatically considered as an application for temporary protection.
The procedure looks quite confusing so far. Here is the translation of Article 44 of the “Law on Foreigners” No. 80/2016 by the editors of the UKR.IS website:
Art. 44 Joint defense due to mass exodus
- In case of mass flight, the Minister can make a decision on the application of the provisions of this article. The Minister shall also decide when the joint protection provision involved, in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3, is to be revoked.
- An alien who is part of a group fleeing from a certain territory and arriving in the country or already present when the provisions of this article apply may, after receiving an application for international protection, be granted protection based on the assessment of the group (joint protection) . This means that a foreigner will be issued a residence permit in accordance with Art. 74. The permit cannot be the basis for an indefinite residence permit.
- The [residence] permit may be renewed or extended for a period of up to three years from the moment the applicant receives the first permit. After that, permission may be granted in accordance with Art. 74, which can be the basis for an indefinite residence permit. After one year with such a permit, a permanent residence permit may be issued if the conditions for maintaining the permit are still in place and the requirements, on the other hand, are met, see Art. 58.
- The application of a foreigner falling under the 2nd paragraph for international protection may be postponed for a period of up to three years from the date of the applicant’s first permit. When the authority to provide mutual protection in accordance with paragraph 1 has ceased to be effective, or when three years have passed since the applicant’s first permit was obtained, the applicant must be informed that the application for international protection will only be considered if he makes an unequivocal request for this during the specified period.
- The Immigration Directorate makes a decision on the approval and rejection of the application.
That is, in order to receive temporary protection, a person arriving in Iceland must submit an application for international protection in accordance with the existing rules.
According to the Aliens Act, a person must be present in Iceland at its border or within it in order to apply for international protection in Iceland.
Applications for international protection sent to Iceland frompersons who are abroad at the time are not considered.
The application must be submitted to the Immigration Office or the police at any police station in Iceland. If you are in the capital region, you need to contact the address: Bæjarhraun 18, 220 Hafnarfjörður. The application does not necessarily have to be in any specific format, because the applicant can express his wish orally.
Next, the police must collect the necessary information about the applicant. After the police have received basic information from the applicant, including fingerprints and a request for a travel route to Iceland and identification, the police send the application to the Directorate of Immigration for further processing and a decision.
What assistance does a person under temporary protection receive?
During the collection of information about the applicant, a check is made as to whether the applicant needs assistance for his/her daily needs, and if so, he/she is offered services from the Immigration Directorate or municipalities that have agreements with the Directorate to provide assistance to persons who seeking refuge
After applying and collecting information from the police, the applicant receives minimal social support in the form of:
- assistance with free settlement;
- a money card that can only be used in certain stores in the amount of 8,000 kroner (approx. 50-55 euros) per week;
- free Icelandic SIM card for calls and internet. IMPORTANT: calls to Ukraine are free in March;
- bus fare per month.
What scope of rights can Ukrainians who have received temporary protection enjoy?
Ukrainians will have access to housing, means of livelihood, social services, health care and access to the labor market. These rights are essentially the same as those granted to individuals in other European countries under Directive 2001/55/EC.”
Is it possible to work?
According to the current “Law on the labor rights of foreigners” No. 97/2002, those who receive a residence permit for humanitarian reasons are granted only conditional access to the labor market in this country, which is based on the fact that the employer must apply for the permit to work for the relevant person. Accordingly, refugees from Ukraine can have access to the Icelandic labor market. The Aliens Act amendment bill currently being prepared by Iceland’s Ministry of Justice proposes to amend these provisions of the Aliens Employment Rights Act so that anyone who receives a residence permit on humanitarian grounds would automatically receive a direct permit for work in parallel with a residence permit.”
What housing can Iceland offer to immigrants from Ukraine?
Since the beginning of the invasion, almost 150 people connected with Ukraine, mostly women and children, have arrived here. So far, more than 240 proposals for housing people from private individuals have been received. Municipalities also take care of this issue. Iceland declares that it will be able to provide social housing for all arriving Ukrainians (given the housing crisis in the country, the quality of housing may be lower than in other European countries).
Are there evacuation flights to Iceland?
At the moment, the authorities of Iceland do not take evacuation measures to remove the population from dangerous places. In this regard, you need to get to the territory of Iceland yourself to request asylum in the territory of this country.
Since Iceland is an island, you can get to the country in two ways: by air and by ferry.
Contacts
The refugee immigration office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Phone number: +354 444 0900 (the general number of the Immigration Directorate) Email: utl@utl.is (the general email address of the Immigration Directorate)
