The Dutch authorities have announced that the country will start sending temporary protection termination letters to non-Ukrainians with a temporary Ukrainian residence permit.
According to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service of the Netherlands (IND), the temporary protection for this group of foreigners will officially end on March 5, 2024.
The same noted that the decision will affect a significant number of nationals of third countries who fled the war in Ukraine.
Those who are not nationals of Ukraine and who hold a temporary Ukrainian residence permit will be sent a letter by IND, which will inform them of the new changes that will start applying in March.
Non-Ukrainians with a temporary Ukrainian residence permit will receive a letter from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). In this letter, the IND informs the third-country nationals about the consequences of stopping temporary protection for this group after March 4, 2024.
IND will send three different letters on the termination of temporary protection to three different groups. Among many others, the letters will include information about the appeal of the decision and other court proceedings, reception, and assistance with return and residence documents.
As IND notes, the largest group of third-country nationals will receive a return decision as they have no other residence permit that would allow them to continue residing in the Netherlands and are not going through the asylum procedure.
In the letter this group will receive, IND will explain that they will be eligible for the Temporary Protection Directive only until March 4, meaning that from March 5, they will no longer be covered by the scheme.
Until that date, non-Ukrainians with a temporary Ukrainian residence permit in the Netherlands will be able to request assistance from the Repatriation and Departure Service to leave the country.
Following March 4, this group of foreigners in the Netherlands will no longer be permitted to work, with a 28-day window provided for their departure. Until they leave the country, they can stay in the municipal reception centre until April 1 at the latest.
In addition, IND will retract the previous return decision. Those who have filed an appeal against their return decision will have their legal costs reimbursed, and a new decision will be issued before March 4.
Regarding third-country nationals who are currently undergoing the asylum process, the Dutch authorities stressed that there will be no return decision for them. They are permitted to await the outcome of their asylum application in the Netherlands. These individuals will also be permitted to work during their ongoing asylum process.
A smaller group of nationals of third countries holding different forms of residency in the Netherlands, such as a regular residence permit, will be informed of the consequences of the termination in early February. They will be permitted to stay in the country under the conditions specified in the permits they hold, provided that their permits are still valid.
