UNHCR globally and in Ukraine is committed to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee.
The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.
As of end 2021, Ukraine hosted 2,391 recognized refugees and persons with complementary protection and around 2,700 asylum-seekers. The population was very diverse, including persons from 60 countries. The population included a disproportionate number of single men of working age. Among refugees and asylum-seekers, 23% were women and girls.. For additional details, please check the Thematic Update.
After the war started in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many refugees and asylum seekers were forced to flee again seeking safety, protection and assistance. In the first five weeks, more than four million people, both Ukrainians and refugees to Ukraine, as well as person who had been seeking asylum in Ukraine, crossed borders into neighboring countries, and many have been forced to move inside the country. In light of the emergency and the scale of humanitarian needs UNHCR continues to provide assistance to the persons previously granted protection by Ukraine, and asylum seekers, who are remaining in the territory of the State. The UNHCR partner organizations, legal and social, continue their work, though being forced to move themselves.
UNHCR is currently verifying the presence of its persons of concern to better respond the urgent needs of the population it serves, and calls for the refugees and asylum seekers in Ukraine to remain in contact through UNHCR’s partners’ organizations to allow the UNHCR timely address the needs of the beneficiaries.
How to apply for asylum in Ukraine
Details on asylum procedure in Ukraine can be found here (in relevant languages):
To apply for a refugee status or status of a person in need of complementary protection in Ukraine, you must fill out an asylum application form and questionnaire. You can download it here. Please visit the HELP page for more information.
Learn more about Support programmes for refugees and asylum seekers here.
Please note that the regional offices of the State Migration Service have also been affected by the security situation in the country. Unfortunately, in some regions, the migration service has not resumed its work to its full capacity as of October 2022. To receive assistance in asylum procedure, you should approach the UNHCR legal partners for counselling and advice.
Reception at the UNHCR Country Office in Kyiv
One of the roles of the UNHCR Representation in Ukraine is to provide free of charge legal and social services to persons wanting to apply for asylum. Only the Government of Ukraine can award refugee status or complementary protection and, therefore, legal rights in Ukraine.
UNHCR can only help in applying and supporting a case through these legal procedures. For this reason, it is essential that refugee status or complementary protection is applied for through the Ukrainian state authorities in charge of asylum.
In the current situation, there is no option to receive visitors in the premises of the UNHCR Country Office in Kyiv; instead as a temporarily measure, UNHCR Protection Unit for Refugees and Asylum seekers can be reached through e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
Contact details of other Legal and Social NGO partners of UNHCR around Ukraine can be found here.