MADRID – Spain is the sixth country in Europe to have granted the highest number of protected statuses to Ukrainian refugees. In the meantime, 56,379 of the more than 110,000 refugees from Ukraine have received a temporary residence and work permit to stay in Spain.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, several European countries have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the violence in their country. Furthermore, many EU countries have provided both humanitarian and military support to Ukraine in recent weeks.
Aid that is not only given in Ukraine, but also in our own country. For example, many European countries have received thousands of refugees from Ukraine every day since day one. On a daily basis, the Ministry of the Interior keeps track of how many refugees have arrived in Spain.
More than 56,000 Ukrainian refugees have protected status in Spain
Until Thursday 14 April, Spain had granted protected status to 56,379 people. This means they will have immediately received a work and residence permit. This was reported by the Spanish news site Cope.es on Thursday. Three weeks ago, this number was only at 10,000.
With this number, Spain is the sixth country in the EU to have granted such status to the most Ukrainian refugees. Only Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, and Bulgaria are ahead of Spain in numbers. What plays a role in receiving refugees is the location of the countries in relation to Ukraine. The EU countries that are closer to Ukraine host the vast majority of the now 4.32 million Ukrainian refugees.
In Spain, most Ukrainian refugees are hosted in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalucia. More than 110,000 refugees from Ukraine have now arrived throughout Spain, of which 56,379 have been granted protected status.
How do refugees apply for protected status in Spain?
Protected status means a residence permit and, for adults, a work permit. Temporary protection can be requested in the refugee reception centres set up by the Ministry of Migration in Madrid, Alicante, Barcelona, and Malaga. Refugees can also apply for this status in one of the 54 national police stations appointed for this procedure in Spain.
