Some Ukrainian citizens who fled to Finland after the Russian invasion rely on food offers from private individuals due to delays in processing temporary visas.
To date, an estimated 22,000 Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection in Finland. This entitles those fleeing the war to stay in Finland for a maximum of one year at a time and gives licensees the right to work and study.
However, according to Mirka OinonenUkrainians Founding member of Kirkkonummi Association, Ukrainians who originally fetched clothes and hygiene products from the association when they arrived in March now have a shortage of food.
"Currently, our relief efforts focus on food distribution," he told Yle TV 1’s breakfast program on Friday morning. "This is because there are delays in the registration process and not all those who have already registered have yet received the money they are entitled to."
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He added that about 150 people visit the association’s premises every day.
"Ukrainians are a proud people, so it is painful for them to seek food aid and they are ashamed of it. We have heard that some are so desperate that they would like to return to Ukraine," Oinonen said.
Minna HulkkonenThe director general of the Ministry of Interior’s Immigration Agency said a situation where people feel they don’t have food should never arise.
He noted that the Immigration Agency Migri last week conducted a preliminary investigation into the distribution of temporary protection support to Ukrainians in reception centers across the country and found that many payments had been delayed.
"We clarified the instructions of the centers and now we hope to move forward," Hulkkonen said.
300 euros per month
The fee is about 300 euros a month, but Hulkkonen said that questions have been raised about how much money is enough to cover the cost of living and whether it can be increased.
"But there is no such plan yet. As the situation normalizes, we will review all the lessons learned from this and all activities in general and consider what proposals we are making to the political side." he said.
Kela, the Finnish benefits agency, announced earlier this week that it could provide temporary financial assistance to Ukrainians in urgent cases due to delays in processing permits and payments.
The Ministry of the Interior has previously estimated that 40,000 to 80,000 Ukrainians will seek asylum in Finland as Russia’s military invasion continues. This expected figure is significantly higher than in the record year of 2015, when 32,500 refugees applied for asylum in Finland.
"This is a huge and exceptional task. While we are ready, such a large number of people in such a short time will challenge our system," Hulkkonen said.
Ukrainians can stay in Finland visa-free for a maximum of 90 days, after which they must apply for a residence permit. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately estimate the exact number of Ukrainians currently in Finland.
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Source: The Nordic Page