Ukrainians removed from Portugal’s migration and integration agency, community alleges discrimination

London: Representatives of the Ukrainian community in Portugal have been excluded from the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) – a key government body responsible for shaping and implementing migration policy in the country, reported Pavlo Sadokha, Vice-President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal.

The Portuguese government, led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, on Aug. 30 adopted a new law stating that only the five largest migrant communities from non-EU countries would be included in the AIMA database.

“This decision excluded the Ukrainian community, which numbers around 100,000 people in Portugal,” Sadokha said.

According to the country’s 2023 migration report, Ukrainians with residence permits in Portugal are not fully accounted for – only 46,823 individuals with temporary protection are listed.

“The new law effectively deprives Ukrainians who have found refuge in the country of their right to participate in shaping migration policy. Those Ukrainians who have obtained Portuguese citizenship but continue to identify as Ukrainians are also not included,” Sadokha added.

The policy move by Portuguese state institutions discriminates against Ukrainians, the UWC Vice President said.

“At the beginning of the agency’s establishment, Ukrainians were labeled as migrants from Eastern Europe, and after numerous complaints, they were merged with Russians. This led to Russian organizations using funding designated for Ukrainians to promote their own interests,” he said.

The Ukrainian community is calling on the Portuguese prime minister to intervene in the situation and protect the rights of Ukrainians as a distinct ethnic and cultural group in the country.