Yesterday, finally, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs held a press conference to inform the public about the procedures for Ukrainian refugees in Luxembourg. Minister Jean Asselborn said: “We want to help the people from Ukraine, women, children, elderly, not only Ukrainians, but those who worked, studied, lived in Ukraine, those who escaped. To manage this, we need to build a completely parallel structure to the existing refugee system and the immigration procedures.” So far, it is impossible to say how many Ukrainian refugees are in Luxembourg. 378 are accommodated in the government’s facilities. 1119 registered with the immigration office, but some of them might not yet have arrived in Luxembourg, others might already have moved on to other countries.
Others hosted in private households might not yet have registered. “Not registered private initiatives are not a good solution”, Jean Asselborn said. To organize the reception better, he highlighted: “Everyone must register here in Luxembourg at the immigration office, via e-mail. Their personal data must be recorded, especially those who live in private households, of whom we don’t even know that they’re here, they must send this e-mail as fast as possible.” Once registered, everyone gets an appointment within a few days or weeks and then they receive temporary protection. “All the people who lived in Ukraine, the day the war started, benefit from this temporary protection”, regardless of their nationality. The registration with the immigration office entitles the refugees with resident rights. This is even more important given the fact that some might need psychological care. Who does not register at the immigration office, does not have access to the healthcare system. The Luxembourgish state does not have nor take any responsibility as long as people don’t register. Once their personal data is recorded during the appointment at the ministry of immigration, every person receives an attestation, that allows them to stay as a resident in Luxembourg until March 2023. In case the war drags on, the attestation can be prolonged. “They get the right to housing, to hygiene, food, clothing and medical care, for school children course materials, they can go to schools, they have the right to work, they can register with Adem, take classes for professional education and language classes.”
Refugees can stay in their host families. The government though does not provide any financial or other aid. The host families have the responsibility to look after their guests, since they are not within the government’s reach. The Ministries are searching for more buildings to accommodate refugees, discussing with the municipalities about the availability of a dozen hotels and cultural centres.
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