Ukrainian refugees in Sweden are calling on the country’s government to resolve the legal uncertainty following the expiry of the EU Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which allows them to stay in the country until March 2026. The petition was signed by 13 Ukrainian organisations, the head of RefugeeHope UA&SE, Khrystyna Gevchuk, told Dagens Nyheter.
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In a letter to the Swedish government, the authors of the petition call for Ukrainians to be able to stay in the country after the expiry of the TPD, given their high level of integration. In particular, according to the Swedish Migration Board, about 45,000 Ukrainians live in Sweden. Of these, 66% are already working or participating in employment programmes, and 46% speak Swedish.
Hevchuk notes that many Ukrainian children in Sweden already speak Swedish better than Ukrainian, and their parents are actively integrating into society. At the same time, the Swedish government has not yet announced what the future will look like for those who have been granted temporary protection.
The main demands of the petition include allowing Ukrainians to obtain a permanent or long-term residence permit without having to leave Sweden, counting the period of stay under TPD as legal residence, allowing a change of migration status without leaving. Facilitating the process of family reunification. They also include eliminating discriminatory differences in rights.
There has been no official response from the Swedish government so far.
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