Ukrainian refugees have submitted 21,700 asylum applications since the war began

The European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) has published today an analysis revealing that from the beginning of the war, Ukrainians submitted about 21,700 asylum applications in EU+ countries until April 24.

However, the majority of Ukrainian refugees have registered for temporary protection, which at the same time gives them immediate rights and opportunities for an initial period of one to three years but does not require asylum, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Such data also shows that in February 2022, about 61,000 applications for international protection were filed in the EU+ countries.

According to the EUAA, even if applications from Afghans and Syrians continued to fall, Ukrainians submitted approximately 2,600 applications, which is more than five times the January level of only 460. The highest number of applications from Ukrainian refugees was recorded in the week of March 1, with about 9,000.

From the beginning of March, asylum applications began to decline rapidly due to the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive, which entered into force on March 4 and was quickly implemented by EU national authorities with the assistance of the EUAA.

“According to provisional estimates, about 2.3 million persons fleeing Ukraine have been registered for temporary protection as of April 24, which dwarfs asylum applications,” the report reads.

In February, Ukrainians were ranked as the fifth-largest group of asylum seekers. Afghans and Syrians remained amongst the largest groups, submitting about 8,100 and 6,700 applications, respectively.

In addition, the drop in applicants was also seen among Iraqis in December, where only 2,200 registered.

Meanwhile, Venezuelans and Colombians came to represent the third and fourth-largest groups in the EU + for asylum-seeking, presenting significantly more applications in February with about 4,300 and 3,200, respectively.

In January, applications from unaccompanied undeclared minors resulted in 2,300, which was significantly lower than at the end of 2021

“Asylum authorities in EU+ countries issued about 42 300 first instance decisions in February 2022, broadly in line with January. However, monthly applications have continued to substantially exceed decisions since July 2021, by close to 19, 000 in February 2022 alone. As a result, cases pending at the first instance increased to about 453 800 at the end of February. About half of them were pending for less than six months,” the EUAA reveals.

The overall recognition rate in the EU+ in 2021 was 35 per cent, while in February of this year, it increased to 41 per cent.

These rising rates rose for Syrians at 91 per cent, Belarusians at 88 per cent, Eritreans at 81 per cent, Palestinians at 72 per cent, and Afghans at 68 per cent.

SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info

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