Migration and Fundamental Rights Bulletin - 2/2026
Following regular reporting on fundamental rights issues related to migration and asylum from 2015 to 2023, FRA resumed the series in 2026 under the EU's 2024 Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, ahead of the June 2026 implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. The first bulletin, published in April 2026, covered developments from 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2026.
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On 30 April 2026, 4.37 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression were under temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat.Adult women made up 43 % of the people under temporary protection, 54 % of them were aged 35 to 64 years. Children represented almost one third (30 %), while adult men accounted for slightly more than a quarter (27 %). Member States have begun implementing transition schemes into national residence permits, while ensuring access for vulnerable groups to residence permits remains a sensitive and important issue. Data indicate continued improvements in employment, as well as in education enrolment and access to private accommodation.
Member States continued to implement different national residence solutions for people with temporary protection in the EU in the absence of an adopted EU-wide approach. Civil society has expressed criticism of some of the proposals. The question of whether vulnerable people will be able to effectively access residence permits after March 2027 was discussed by the European Council. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has highlighted growing concerns over the transition from EU temporary protection to national residence permits, warning that without adequate safeguards this shift could leave many displaced Ukrainians in legal uncertainty with reduced access to rights. In parallel, he stressed that current conditions in Ukraine do not allow for safe and dignified return. He further cautions that policies indirectly encouraging return, risk leading to unsafe or involuntary departures.
In Poland, from 4 May 2026 until 4 March 2027, it is possible to apply for a CUKR permit — a three-year residence card for Ukrainians with PESEL UKR who previously held temporary protection status. Applications must be submitted in electronic form, and applicants must fulfil several criteria related to their stay under temporary protection. At the same time, access to temporary protection has been tied to rigid registration requirements and tight deadlines. According to the Council of Europe, this raises concerns for certain people, such as stateless persons, who might not be able to comply with the one-month registration deadline. As of 30 June 2026, more than 30,000 applications have been lodged and 212 residence permits issued, as the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration informed FRA.
During April 2026, persons with temporary protection in Czechia were able to apply for the special five-year residence permit through an online platform. According to the Ministry of the Interior, by the end of April, a total of 56,500 expressions of interest had been submitted. In a similar exercise last year, only one fifth of applicants met the strict eligibility criteria. These criteria, introduced in 2024 under Lex Ukrajina VI, remained unchanged in 2025 and 2026. They include a minimum of two years of residence in Czechia, a gross annual income of at least CZK 440,000 (approximately €17,600) plus CZK 110,000 per dependent person, continuous health insurance, proof of adequate housing, a clean criminal record, and, for families, children enrolled in Czech schools. The Council of Europe has highlighted the exclusion of vulnerable groups from access to this residence permit, following its mission to Czechia in April 2026. A consortium of CSOs has also reported on the difficulties of persons with disabilities displaced from Ukraine to access social support.
In Croatia, amendments to the Foreigners’ Act in force since 4 June 2026 remove the possibility to count temporary protection towards long-term residence. On 2 June 2026, Slovakia amended its Act on the residence of Foreigners, introducing a one‑year automatic transitional protection period after temporary protection ends. During this year, displaced persons can apply for standard residence permits, provided they have worked, studied or carried out another activity for at least six months. In May 2026, the Irish Department of Justice announced plans to introduce a Temporary Protection Transition Scheme, initially valid for two years with renewable two-year extensions and future naturalisation eligibility for Ukraine refugees. Eligibility requires one year under temporary protection, six months of work, a €29,432 salary and no dependence on state accommodation. The Ukraine Civil Society Forum, consisting of 122 Irish organisations,criticised the plan as harmful to displaced people from Ukraine. Latvia is considering amendments allowing eligible Ukrainians with at least five years of lawful residence to apply for permanent residence, which could improve legal clarity and support long-term integration. However, in a public consultation NGOs warn that the criteria may be hard to meet and leave uncertainty for those who do not qualify after temporary protection ends in 2027.
According to a UNHCR survey with persons displaced from Ukraine staying in the EU, 59 % of respondents with temporary protection reported, when asked about their future plans, that they intended to change their legal status within the next 12 months. The survey interviewed 4,389 people between December 2025 and January 2026. People in more stable, economically anchored households, especially where at least one member works, are most likely to seek work-based residence permits. More vulnerable groups, such as older people, single adult carers, and those originally from frontline or occupied areas in Ukraine are more likely to rely on asylum. Some 41 %, said they do not plan any status change in the coming year. This group is mostly made up of vulnerable people and non-working households, and their hesitation is linked to expectations that temporary protection may be extended, limited awareness of other options, reluctance to switch status or the need for support to do so.
In Germany, according to an answer to a parliamentary question, 23,462 people who at some point since March 2022 had a residence permit for temporary protection switched to a different residence permit by 30 April 2026. In most cases it was to one for work or family reasons.
According to UNHCR data from a socio-economic survey in May 2026 covering eight Member States and Moldova, 67 % of displaced people from Ukraine are employed, with an unemployment rate of 10 % and a labour force participation rate of 74 %. The labour force participation rate shows what share of people aged 15–64 is either working or actively looking for work. All three indicators show improvement compared to a 2023 survey, showing the increased integration in the local labour markets. The 2025 survey was conducted in 8 Member States (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia) and Moldova.
FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report - Challenges and achievements in 2025 raises concerns, however, regarding informal employment and vulnerabilities to labour exploitation for women. According to a FRA survey among 1,200 women carried out in 2024 (whose findings the agency published in 2026) overall, 36 % of women who had carried out paid work since arriving in the three Member States covered by the survey, namely Czechia, Germany and Poland indicated that they had to work without a contract or that the contract did not cover all their working hours. Some 29 % had to work very long hours, and 24 % were underpaid or not paid at all for work they were doing.
UNHCR data refer to severe material and social deprivation among 19 % of Ukrainian households, in comparison to 8 % for host population households, despite social protection benefits provided by national authorities.
UNHCR data also shows that 92 % of households were paying rent in a private accommodation in 2025, compared to 81 % in 2024, with the lowest portion in Hungary with 46 % and the highest in Estonia at 91 %. In Estonia, the share of households living in independent accommodations rose from 81 to 91 %.Estonian authorities informed FRA that Ukrainian holders of temporary protection continue to be entitled to one-off support for signing a rental agreement in order to facilitate their move to a local municipality and then access mainstream social services. Additionally, 44 % of households received Estonian social protection benefits.
The Bulgarian Foundation Refugees International Women Empowerment informed FRA of a growing climate of anti‑Ukrainian hate speech, online threats, and risks of violence in Varna, Bulgaria, particularly affecting Ukrainian women and children under temporary protection.
Enrolment of Ukrainian children in local schools has continued to rise, increasing from 78 % in 2024 to 84 % in 2025 according to UNHCR data from May 2026 covering eight Member States and Moldova. Over the same period, the share of children following only Ukrainian online education dropped from 14 % in 2024 to 10 % in 2025, indicating progressively stronger integration into host-country education systems. However, 28 % of students reported experiencing bullying, with particularly high rates among children with disabilities.
