4.9.2. Information for specific nationalities
Afghans
More than a year after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, many EU+ countries retained information for Afghans on their websites, while the frequency of updates to these pages slowed down. In most cases, the content was relocated from the homepage to subpages of the authorities’ website. Information for Afghan applicants remained accessible on national authorities’ websites in Denmark,New to Denmark | Ny i Danmark. (2022). Afghansk statsborger – spørgsmål og svar om ophold i Danmark mv [Afghan citizen – FAQ about residence in Denmark etc]. https://nyidanmark.dk/uk-UA/Words-and-concepts/US/Asylum/FAQ-Afghanistan Finland,Finish Immigration Service | Maahanmuuttovirasto. (2022). Usein kysytyt kysymykset Afganistanin tilanteesta [Current situation in Afghanistan]. https://migri.fi/en/faq-afghanistan Germany, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees | Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge. (2022). Evakuierung aus Afghanistan [Evacuation from Afghanistan]. https://www.bamf.de/DE/Startseite/_documents/hervorhebungsbaustein_hinw… the Netherlands,Government | Rijksoverheid. (2022). Frequently asked questions about reception in the Netherlands following evacuation from Afghanistan. https://www.government.nl/topics/afghanistan/faq-about-reception-in-the… Norway,Norwegian Directorate of Immigration | Utlendingsdirektoratet. (2022). Informasjon om situasjonen i Afghanistan og søknader om opphold i Norge [Information about the situation in Afghanistan and applications for residence in Norway]. https://www.udi.no/viktige-meldinger/informasjon-om-situasjonen-i-afgha… Poland,Office for Foreigners | Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców. (2022). Materiały informacyjne dla obywateli Afganistanu - Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców [Information materials for citizens of Afghanistan]. https://www.gov.pl/web/udsc/materialy-informacyjne-dla-obywateli-afgani… Sweden Swedish Migration Agency | Migrationsverket. (2022). Situationen i Afghanistan [Information regarding the situation in Afghanistan]. https://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-Migrationsverket/Aktuella-fragor/Sit… and Switzerland.State Secretariat for Migration | Staatssekretariat für Migration | Secrétariat d’État aux migrations | Segreteria di Stato della migrazione. (2023, January 27). Afghanistan Crisis: Key Information. https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/asyl/afghanistan.html
Ukrainians
By the end of 2022, all EU+ countries had developed websites or webpages to provide information to displaced persons from Ukraine (see the EUAA’s Who is Who: Temporary Protection to view the information tools developed by each country). These pages were regularly updated to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information in a rapidly-changing environment.
Since the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive on 4 March 2022, great efforts were made by EU+ countries and civil society organisations to inform this target population about their rights and the procedural steps to take to receive temporary protection. (Read more about access to information on temporary protection in the EUAA’s comprehensive report, Providing Temporary Protection to Displaced Persons from Ukraine: A Year in Review.) As the report notes, all 30 EU+ countries created dedicated tools and websites to provide information on access to relevant procedures and rights for displaced persons from Ukraine. In addition, several EU+ countries provided channels for personalised information through the creation of dedicated telephone lines and e-mail addresses. EU institutions and agencies, NGOs and international organisations, such as UNHCR and the IOM, also developed information material in various countries. Efforts also focused on producing more information material in Ukrainian and Russian. The European Commission launched information webpages and tools to centralise information resources, and several EU agencies made additional resources available in relation to their mandate.
Russians
Following President Putin’s announcement of a ‘partial’ military mobilisation on 21 September 2022, Finland started to see an increase in the number of asylum applications lodged by Russian nationals.Finish Immigration Service | Maahanmuuttovirasto. (2022, September 28). Venäläisten tekemien turvapaikkahakemusten määrässä on ollut viime päivinä maltillista kasvua [There has been a moderate increase in the number of asylum applications made by Russians in recent days] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Maahanmuuttovir/status/1575100856495927297 Additionally, many Russian nationals started contacting the Norwegian UDI with questions about claiming asylum in Norway.Norwegian Directorate of Immigration | Utlendingsdirektoratet. (2022, September 30). Vi har oppdatert nettsidene våre, der vi har informasjon til russiske borgarar - då det er mange som kontaktar UDI med diverse spørsmål [We have updated our websites, where we have information for Russian citizens - as many people contact UDI with various questions] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Utlendingsdir/status/1575854174172254209 In response, the Finnish Immigration ServiceFinish Immigration Service | Maahanmuuttovirasto. (2023, January 10). Usein kysytyt kysymykset Venäjän hyökkäyksestä Ukrainaan ja sen vaikutuksista venäläisiin [Frequently asked questions about Russia's attack on Ukraine and its effects on Russian citizens]. https://migri.fi/en/faq-russias-attack-on-ukraine-and-its-effects-on-ru… and the Norwegian UDINorwegian Directorate of Immigration | Utlendingsdirektoratet. (2022). Informasjon til russiske borgere [Information for Russian citizens]. https://www.udi.no/informasjon-ukraina-russland/informasjon-til-russisk… updated their websites with specific information for Russian nationals about claiming asylum. The webpages contained Frequently Asked Questions and were accessible in Russian.
