Mayors are still very concerned about the situation of Ukrainian third-country nationals, who will have to leave the Netherlands from Monday. Consultations with State Secretary Eric van der Burg of Asiel did not lead to the desired solutions on Tuesday evening. The cabinet must “take control”, says Wouter Kolff on behalf of the Security Council.
There are currently about 2,900 people in the municipal reception centers who had a temporary residence permit in Ukraine when the war broke out there. They have to leave the shelter on September 4, next Monday. About 700 of them applied for asylum, what will happen to the 2200 others is still unclear.
Wouter Kolff, who is also mayor of Dordrecht in addition to chairman of the Security Council, is very concerned about that group. “They could just start roaming around in our cities,” he says News hour. “And use the Salvation Army, for example. We don’t want that.”
The 2200 third-country nationals have 28 days to leave from Monday. But some don’t want to leave. According to Kolff, the government must prevent them from going illegal.
No lengthy legal procedures
During the meeting with State Secretary Van der Burg on Tuesday, the mayors were promised that they would not have to initiate individual legal proceedings against every third-country national. “That saves a legal draft on a drink,” says Kolff. “In Dordrecht we have thirty third-country nationals.” In Amsterdam there are even three hundred.
Van der Burg believes that people with a temporary Ukrainian residence permit for study or work can often return safely to their country of origin. These are often African or Asian countries. But how exactly he wants to achieve this is still unknown.
‘Very painful situations’
Amsterdam alderman Rutger Groot Wassink also wants clarity about third-country nationals. “There is chagrin that we have been calling this out for a year and a half and that the cabinet is only now working to ensure that this will work out.” He is concerned about the “very painful situations” in which third-country nationals risk ending up. “Of course it could also be that they return to different cities as undocumented migrants. That is not pleasant for those people, but also for the cities.”
Nieuwsuur spoke today with Melissa from Malaysia, who came to the Netherlands via Ukraine. She threatens to leave.
“I have no choice, I have to go back to Ukraine”
2023-08-29 20:55:48
#worried #Ukrainian #thirdcountry #nationals #Monday
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