Immigration grants more than 39,000 authorisations to Ukrainians
The SEF announced that since the beginning of the war, it had granted 39,346 temporary protections to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in Ukraine, 25,481 women and 13,865 men.
Portugal has so far granted more than 39,000 temporary protections to people who fled the war in Ukraine, of which about a third were minors, according to the latest update by the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF).
In a statement, the SEF said that since the beginning of the war on February 24, it had granted 39,346 temporary protections to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in Ukraine, 25,481 women and 13,865 men.
According to SEF, the municipalities with the highest number of temporary protections granted continue to be Lisbon (6,288), Cascais (2,520), Sintra (1,450), Porto (1,432) and Albufeira (1,133).
The SEF also issued 35,586 certificates granting a residence permit under the temporary protection regime.
This certificate, issued after the Portuguese health service, social security and the tax authority have assigned the respective numbers, is necessary for refugees to start working and access support.
When assigning these numbers, citizens can consult the numbers that have been assigned in the meantime in their reserved area of the digital platform https://sefforukraine.sef.pt.the Immigration and Borders Service also reports that requests for temporary protection were authorized for 12,481 minors, representing 31.7% of the total.
SEF also reveals that it has communicated to the Public Prosecutor (MP) the situation of 716 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without parents or legal representatives, cases in which there is considered to be no “present or imminent danger”.
In these situations, where in most cases, the child arrived in Portugal with a relative, the case is communicated to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the appointment of a legal representative and possible promotion of a protection process to the minor.
SEF also communicated to the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ) the situation of 15 minors who arrived in Portugal unaccompanied but with someone other than their parents or a proven legal representative, representing these cases as “current or in imminent danger”.
The request for temporary protection in Portugal can be made through SEF’s ‘online’ platform and is available in three languages.
However, in the case of minors, it is mandatory to go to a branch of the Immigration and Borders Service to confirm their identity and affiliation.
On 24 February, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that has killed more than 4,000 civilians, according to the UN, which warns that the actual number is likely to be much higher.
According to the latest UN figures, the invasion has caused more than eight million people to flee, including more than 6.6 million out of the country.
