Ukrainian refugees finding Germany, Poland, and USA less welcoming

 

Germany to end preferential treatment of Ukrainians - Bild

Berlin has reportedly agreed to begin treating new and recent arrivals on par with other refugees

FILE PHOTO. The flags of the EU, Ukraine and Germany fly in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany. ©  Getty Images / PA / Bernd von Jutrczenka

The German government has agreed to terminate the preferential treatment of Ukrainians, bringing their benefits down to the level of refugees from other nations, Bild newspaper has reported.

Germany has become one of the top destinations for Ukrainians since the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Currently, an estimated 1.1 million reside in the country.

Ukrainian refugees have been given preferential treatment by Berlin, but now the program is slated to end; the German government agreed on the matter on Tuesday, Bild has reported, citing senior officials.  

Under the scheme introduced in the immediate aftermath of the escalation  of the conflict in 2022, Ukrainian nationals were eligible in Germany for a €563 monthly allowance, with additional support provided for rent and other amenities. Asylum seekers from elsewhere receive only around €180 every month, along with other benefits.

READ MORE: Ukrainians lose food assistance in US

All the Ukrainians who came to Germany after April 1, 2025, will be treated as regular asylum seekers, while earlier arrivals will retain their enhanced benefits, according to Bild.

The government originally considered applying the measure retroactively to all the Ukrainian refugees in the country, but the plan has been reportedly deemed too complicated to implement.

“The bureaucratic effort would have been too great… that’s not worth it. The important thing is that we regulated this,” a senior government official told the newspaper.

The development comes shortly after another hotspot for Ukrainian migrants, Poland, tightened its rules for the refugees. In late September, it adopted new legislation cutting access to benefits for those who do not work in the country. 

Ukrainian refugees have also been cut off from food benefits in the US, with the change stemming from President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ signed in July.

The legislation reduced federal payments to individuals living in the US under temporary protected status or humanitarian parole, redefining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and restricting it to US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and a few other groups.

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