A refugee fleeing the war in neighboring Ukraine holds her child, sitting in a tent at the Romania-Ukraine border in Siret, Romania, Saturday, February 26, 2022. AP/Andreea Alexandru
As reported by European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA)
More than 16,000 Ukrainians applied for asylum status in the EU and Switzerland in the first six months of 2025, which is 29% higher than in the same period of 2024.
According to migration analysts, nearly half of Ukrainian applications were for France. In Poland, since the start of 2025, more than 5,000 asylum applications have been filed. There is also a significant number of requests from people with temporary protection status, which is currently provided in EU countries – their number is about 4.3 million.
The asylum status opens a range of rights: access to medical care, the ability to work, and the right to reside in the countest that provides protection. The stay can be long-term. As of September 2025, the European Commission extfinished temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2027.
First half of 2025: who sought asylum
In the first half of 2025, the largest group of applicants seeking asylum in the EU and Switzerland were Venezuelan nationals – about 50,000 people sought protection, mainly in Spain.
Among the countries receiving the largest number of applications are France with 78,000 applications and Spain with 77,000. Next come Germany (70,000), Italy (64,000) and Greece (27,000).
The total number of asylum applications in EU countries since the start of 2025 fell by 23% and stood at around 399,000. This data indicates that one reason for the decline is the decrease in the number of Syrian applicants.
Thus, the results of the first half of 2025 display a shift in flows: rising Ukrainian applications amid a shrinking share of other migrant groups and sustained support for those in necessary of asylum or temporary protection.
Leave a Reply