In Germany, Ukrainian refugees are being advised to change their status themselves, DW reports

Germany’s Interior Ministry is advising Ukrainian refugees who want to stay to start changing their status now and apply for a residence permit on their own.

Deutsche Welle reports this.

Hans-Ulrich Benra, head of the Ukraine unit at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, said at a conference in Berlin that Germany is not currently planning to introduce a new status specifically for Ukrainians.

According to him, after March 2027—when the EU’s temporary protection program for Ukrainians is likely to end—there will probably be a transition period, but he did not specify how long it would last or under what conditions.

As the outlet notes, Germany has several types of residence permits, and Berlin is urging Ukrainians who want to remain in the country to apply for a residence permit now rather than waiting until the last moment, when there could be a surge of applications.

At the same time, journalists note that it will be much harder to stay in Germany after the war for those working in low-paid jobs or not working at all. Those who are likely to be able to stay include skilled professionals with language proficiency.

Earlier, Norwegian authorities were reported to be considering tightening the rules for accepting male Ukrainian refugees of military age.