Cristina Hodgson
ALMOST a year into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a total of 22,631 Ukrainians have fled to Andalucia and applied for temporary protection, which includes accommodation and a work permit.
According to data from the Secretary of State for Migration, accumulated until January 31 2023, of the over 22,600 refugees in the region, 1416 have applied for temporary protection in Malaga, followed by 1,945 in Sevilla, 1,712 in Almeria, 1,456 in Granada, 1,430 in Cadiz, 930 in Huelva, 668 in Cordoba and 327 in Jaen.
The process to apply for temporary protection is carried out at the Immigration offices and National Police stations, additionally in Andalucia in the Ukrainian ‘Reception, Care and Referral Centre’ in Malaga.
In order to start the procedure, the interested parties must go to the authorised points, where they are attended by officials of the National Police with the support of interpreters.
The applications for the residence permit are usually approved within 24 hours by the Asylum and Refugee Office of the Ministry of the Interior and a work permit is also granted for those of legal age.
In addition, under the provisions of the Directorate General of Traffic, displaced persons who obtain temporary refuge are legally entitled to use their driving licences in Spain for at least one year.
Spain has set up a portal that provides information on services, telephone numbers and addresses, and places to carry out formalities. Click here for more information in Spanish, and here in Ukrainian.
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