Since the war began, 8 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries – and nearly 5,000 have come to Australia seeking refuge. The Drum's Stephanie Boltje spoke to three Ukrainians who have been living in NSW since April 2022.
The Australian Government remains committed to supporting Ukrainians and their family members who are temporarily in Australia as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Up to 5000 Ukrainians are believed to have arrived in Australia prior to World War I, along with a larger group of Russians, who were workers on the Chinese Eastern Railway, which was completed in 1902. Many lived in Brisbane where they were politically active.
The countries receiving the largest numbers of refugees were Russia (2.9 million), Poland (1.5 million), Germany (1 million) and the Czech Republic (0.4 million). The communications chief of the UN High Commission for Human Rights called the speed of the exodus of refugees from Ukraine "phenomenal".
This is despite UNHCR assessing 1.4 million refugees needing this lifeline. Over 2020–21, Australia granted 4,558 refugee and humanitarian visas for people from overseas and has a financial year quota of 13,750 people.
Do refugees get free housing? No, refugees are not automatically provided with free housing because of their refugee status. ⁶ But refugees, just like all other Australian residents, can apply for housing supports if they are struggling and meet the eligibility criteria.
Since the war began, 8 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries – and nearly 5,000 have come to Australia seeking refuge.
Since the onset of CUAET, more than 167,585 Ukrainian nationals have arrived in Canada by land or air.
The New York City Metropolitan Area, including Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York, and Fair Lawn in Bergen County, New Jersey, is home to by far the largest Ukrainian population in the United States.
In 2021, an estimated 398,000 Ukrainian immigrants lived in the U.S. Another 708,000 people born in the U.S. claimed Ukrainian ancestry.
The latest Census in 2016 recorded 20,425 Russian Federation-born people in Australia, an increase of 11.8 per cent from the 2011 Census.
The Australian Ukrainian community traces its foundation to the arrival of post-World War 2 refugees from war torn Europe. These refugees were termed Displaced Persons and began arriving in 1948. Prior to 1948 only a small number had arrived, and most of these were not nationally aware individuals.
Bringing or joining family
The 2022 Special Ukraine Visa is a 2-year temporary visa for Ukrainians with family in New Zealand. To apply, eligible New Zealanders with Ukrainian heritage must nominate family through an expression of interest (EOI). Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will invite eligible Ukrainians to apply.
Does Australia accept all refugees referred to it by the UN refugee agency? No. Though the UNHCR recommends or refers people for resettlement, the ultimate decision to grant a visa rests with Australia's Immigration Department.
The subclass 786 visa will be granted for a three year period. During this time, you can work, study and access Medicare, Special Benefits and you will have full work rights.
Ukrainians and their family members who fear harm if they were to return to Ukraine can apply for a Protection (subclass 866). The Protection visa is a permanent visa that, if granted, lets the holder stay in Australia indefinitely.
The amount of the payment depends on the state in which the refugee resides. In 2023, the minimum will be $914 per month for a single person or $1,371 for a married couple.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free payment of €800 per month for each property used to provide accommodation to refugees from Ukraine. The payment increased to €800 per month from 1 December 2022. The accommodation must be provided for at least 6 months and meet the required standards.
In the 2016 Census, about 1.36 million people, or close to 4% of the Canadian population, reported at least one of their ethnic origins as Ukrainian.
Since February 24, 2022, more than one million people have fled Ukraine to Germany. The general conditions of the flight from Ukraine to Germany differ in many respects from the arrival of refugees in the past.
As of 10 February there are 8,054,405 refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe. There are 73,002 refugees from Ukraine in Ireland (0.9% of the total number of refugees). As a comparison the number of people receiving temporary protection in a sample of other countries is: Czech Republic: 485,775.
Over eight million Ukraine residents have found shelter outside of the country since February 2022, primarily in Europe. The largest share of refugees at 35% have actually gone directly to Russia.
As of 20 February 2023, Councils have helped 163,500 Ukrainians settle in the UK.
Across the 2021-2022 financial year there were 1,993 arrivals of people to NSW whose Country of Citizenship was Ukraine, compared to 216 the previous financial year.
Many of these new post-independence migrants were young professionals in the fields of science, mathematics and computer technology. According to the 2011 Census, today there is an active Ukrainian community of about 38,000 people, with most of them living in Melbourne and Sydney.