More than 5,300 refugees from Ukraine received temporary protection in Luxembourg following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More than 4,000 are still in Luxembourg, foreign minister (LSAP) said during a press conference on Thursday.

For those who have found a job and are not living in state-run shelters, the country is now opening a pathway to residency.

must have temporary protection status and earn the equivalent of the unskilled minimum wage. This stands at €2,508.24 gross per month since the last round of indexation. They can also not live in housing provided by the national welcome office (ONA).

Under temporary protection, refugees from Ukraine are allowed to work but, for example, do not have access to child benefits.

Residence permits for third-country nationals are usually valid for one year and can then be renewed. Permanent residency is accessible after five years of “lawful and uninterrupted stay” in Luxembourg.

Temporary protection is also valid for one year and recipients are currently able to extend it by one year and then again by six months.

The longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the more likely people will want to stay, the president of the LUkraine association, Nicolas Zharov, told Delano during an . “People have changed their lives completely, and now they’re trying to plan something,” he said.

Also in February, one war after Russia invaded Ukraine, Asselborn had said that Ukrainian refugees who find work in the country will be given the possibility to lose the temporary protection status and be treated like an employee coming to Luxembourg.

At the same time, he said that asylum seekers from other countries, who are currently not allowed to work while waiting for a decision on their application, should be able to find a job.

scrapping a labour market test for people applying for a temporary work permit, which should allow anyone who has been in the country for six months to find a job.

“There are people from Eritrea, Afghanistan or Syria who have been in Luxembourg for years. We must also think of them. I cannot differentiate between the two groups, although I know they are two different procedures,” he said.