Is temporary protection for Ukrainians being extended until March 2028? Men who have recently arrived from Ukraine may not be eligible.
Last year, both the Polish authorities and EU institutions announced that the current extension of temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine would be the last. During this period, Member States were to develop solutions to encourage beneficiaries of protection to transition to the general rules governing the residence of foreign nationals (e.g. by obtaining residence permits) or to return to their country of origin.
Poland has already introduced a solution in the form of the CUKR residence card, but this is not available to all temporary protection beneficiaries. In most Member States, however, similar mechanisms are still not in place. At the same time, concerns have been raised that national administrations would not be able to handle a massive influx of applications to change residence status efficiently, which could lead to delays of several months.
Consequently, work has begun at the EU level on extending temporary protection further, this time until 4 March 2028. While the idea of an extension appears to enjoy broad support, discussions are ongoing regarding restrictions on the eligibility of certain categories of newly displaced persons for protection. This primarily concerns male Ukrainian nationals of conscription age who arrive in the EU after the new rules come into force. However, the restrictions under consideration should not apply to men who obtained temporary protection earlier and continue to benefit from it.
Following the latest meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, unofficial information suggests that this solution is supported by many Member States, including Poland. According to reports, similar proposals may also come from Ukraine. Consequently, introducing restrictions for some of the newly displaced appears to be the most likely option for extending protection.
The next step will be for the European Commission to draft the necessary measures. The Council of the EU will then have to decide whether to continue temporary protection. This is expected to take place by September 2026 at the latest.