The number of temporary protection permits granted by Portugal to people who fled the war in Ukraine has been decreasing in recent weeks, with about 2,000 Ukrainians requesting to cancel their permits, revealed the immigration and borders service (SEF) on Monday.
A source from SEF told Lusa that about 2,000 Ukrainians have asked for the cancellation of requests for temporary protection that they formalised with the service.
In addition to the requests for cancellations of permits, there are also Ukrainians who are not renewing the temporary protection permits, which initially had a duration of one year and have since expired.
The same source indicated that SEF does not know the reasons for the cancellation of temporary protection permits or for the non-renewal of the permits, stating that the Ukrainians do not explain why.
The latest statement made today by the SEF indicates that Portugal has granted 58,191 temporary protection permits to people who fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war on 24 February, 34,344 of them to women and 23,847 to men.
According to the security service, Lisbon remains the municipality with the most temporary protection permits granted, 11,858, followed by Cascais, with 3,834, Porto, with 2,893, Sintra, with 1,986, and Albufeira, with 1,465.
In relation to minors, SEF says that 14,221 temporary protection permits were counted out of the total of 58,191.
SEF also indicates that it has communicated to the public prosecutor (MP) the situation of 739 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without parents or legal representatives, cases in which there is considered to be no “present or imminent danger”.
In these situations – in most cases the child arrived in Portugal with a relative – the case is communicated to the public prosecutor for the appointment of a legal representative and possible initiation of protection proceedings for the minor.
SEF has also communicated to the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People the situation of 15 minors who arrived in Portugal unaccompanied, but with someone other than their parents or a proven legal representative, these cases representing “current or imminent danger”.
The military offensive launched on 24 February 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14.6 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced and more than 8.1 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and accommodation.
The UN has presented as confirmed since the start of the war 8,709 civilians killed and 14,666 injured, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
