President’s Office: Ukraine to ease entry rules for African migrant workers

Kyrylo Budanov. Photo: screenshot from the CEO Club Ukraine YouTube channel

At a meeting with business leaders at CEO Club, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov said that new rules are being prepared for the entry and legalization of foreign workers. The government plans to revise the list of “migration-risk” countries in order to simplify the import of labor for employers.

Budanov said that the Cabinet of Ministers has already held a meeting on cooperation with African countries. Following that meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Security Service were instructed to urgently review the list of states whose citizens are subject to additional screening when applying for visas.

The head of the President’s Office acknowledged that Ukraine’s previously strict immigration policy had been tied to concerns that the country could become a transit zone for illegal migrants. “They enter, obtain documents, and then move on. This is a problem that creates barriers for business,” Budanov said.

He noted that the shortage of personnel has become a key challenge, prompting the state to move toward softer migration barriers. The current list of high-risk countries includes 70 states in Asia and Africa, among them Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. At present, the legalization procedure for their citizens remains complicated and costly.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Britain, Ukraine’s actual population was estimated at 20 million.

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