When their temporary protection ends, their right to work in the Netherlands also ends, the District Court of the Netherlands has ruled in three emergency proceedings initiated by third-country nationals from Cameroon, Nigeria and Morocco. They are allowed to stay in the Netherlands for another 28 days from Tuesday and want to continue working until then.
Third country nationals are refugees who worked or studied in Ukraine when Russia invaded. More than 4,900 of them fled to the Netherlands after the Russian invasion. Initially, they were granted the same rights as Ukrainian refugees. They did not have to undergo asylum procedures, were allowed to immediately seek paid work, and were entitled to shelter, a subsistence allowance, medical care and education.
About the author
Dan de Vries is a general correspondent for De Volkskrant.
About half of the third-country nationals, about 2,540 people, had a temporary residence permit in Ukraine. Last fall, the government wanted to stop protecting this group. According to State Secretary Van der Burgh (Asylum and Migration), some refugees falsely presented themselves as refugees from Ukraine and many of them were able to return safely to their country of origin. This includes refugees from Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco.
European agreements
The Council of State postponed the moratorium date until March 4, the day on which the European agreements related to this group of refugees expire. At least 860 of them have so far applied for asylum or a regular residence permit and are therefore being allowed to stay.
The remaining more than 1,600 third-country nationals must leave the country within 28 days after Tuesday, or register as asylum seekers within that period. They can then be deported. Until Tuesday, third-country nationals who register will be eligible for a free plane ticket to their country of origin plus 5,000 euros.
Refugee organizations fear that many third-country nationals will choose illegal residence in the Netherlands rather than return to their country of birth. Some third-country nationals have appealed the termination of their status before the court.
