Portuguese authorities have recently decided to extend the validity of temporary protection permits for individuals displaced from Ukraine and residing in Portugal until March 2024.
In March of this year, Portugal also announced a six-month extension to the temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees.
Based on data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from the beginning of the conflict until April 6, Portugal has provided temporary protection to a total of 56,990 individuals.
Meanwhile, the European Commission revealed that in March, Portugal granted temporary protection to 58,414 individuals who have been displaced from Ukraine, including 34,099 women and 24,315 men.
Such data show that minors comprise 25 per cent of the total Ukrainian refugees receiving temporary protection in Portugal.
In terms of location, the municipalities that provide the most temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees are as follows:
- Lisbon (12,461)
- Cascais (3,714)
- Porto (2,995)
- Sintra (1,970)
- Albufeira (1,448)
In July 2023, the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF) reported a decline in the number of Ukrainian refugees in the past two months, with over 4,000 individuals having already departed.
According to SEF’s data, nearly 2,000 Ukrainians had requested the cancellation of their applications for temporary protection. At that time, there were 58,191 pending permits for temporary protection. Further data from SEF pointed out that it was seen a decrease of 1,663 permits, bringing the total number of existing permits for temporary protection to 56,528.
Previously, the EU Commission put forth a proposal to extend the temporary protection provided to Ukrainian refugees. The same authority said that this extension would cover the period from March 4, 2024, to March 3, 2025, to ensure their safety and provide assistance to over four million protection beneficiaries across the EU.
As the recent figures from the European Office for Statistics, Eurostat, revealed, as of August this year, almost 4.2 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine due to the war have been granted temporary protection in EU member states.
Eurostat also highlighted that Germany has taken in the largest share among the EU countries offering temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees, with 1,175,695 individuals, constituting 28 per cent of the total.
Poland issued the second-highest number of permits to Ukrainians, providing support to 960,550 beneficiaries, which accounts for 23 per cent of the total. Meanwhile, Czechia has offered assistance to 365,085 people, marking nine per cent of the overall number.
