Newsroom — 4 min

Remote partners with Portugal to help displaced Ukrainian citizens

Written by Marcelo Lebre

March 1, 2022

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Our hearts go out to the millions of Ukrainian people displaced from their homes, their families separated and livelihoods disrupted.

The government of Portugal has announced a special new program for Ukrainians coming into the country. We are honored to be part of the special task force in collaboration with the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Presidency to design a simplified visa and right-to-work process. This initiative will enable Ukrainian citizens to relocate, find jobs, and get back on their feet quickly.

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How does Portugal’s special program for Ukrainians work?
Useful resources for businesses and Ukrainians in Portugal

How does Portugal’s special program for Ukrainians work?

Remote is helping the Portuguese government assist with several key tasks:

Fast-tracking visas and immigration

The introduction of this special program allows Ukrainian citizens to enter Portugal without a visa and seek asylum. This program will apply to all Ukrainian citizens and their family members entering Portugal. Upon their arrival, the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF: Foreigners and Borders Service)will carry out an internal security control to verify their status. Upon successful verification, Ukrainian citizens are allowed to enter Portugal for a duration of one year, with a possible extension of six additional months after the conclusion of the first year.

This program also guarantees all Ukrainian citizens entering Portugal will be assigned a NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal: Tax Identification Number), NISS (Social Security Number) and SNS (National Health System Number). The allocation of these IDs ensures people coming from Ukraine will have access to all public services in Portugal, including education for children in public schools.

Facilitating access to new jobs

The Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) has created a task force that will focus on identifying job opportunities for Ukrainian citizens. This task force also plans to place a heavy emphasis on creating resources such as language courses to help integrate new Ukrainian arrivals into the Portuguese labor market.

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Useful resources for businesses and Ukrainians in Portugal

Here are a few helpful resources for Ukrainians who have recently arrived in Portugal and businesses interested in offering employment opportunities:

Job openings on Portugal’s IEFP: The IEFP launched this exclusive platform to promote job opportunities for Ukrainian citizens. The Minister of Labor and Social Security notes that more than 2,000 open jobs are already listed on this platform, and the government is inviting more companies to list openings. If you are looking for talented folks to join your team, you can submit job openings on the IEFP portal.
Remote for Refugees: The Remote for Refugees program is available to help Ukrainians who have been displaced by this conflict. If you’re looking to hire Ukrainians in Portugal remotely, Remote can provide employer of record services to help you hire and onboard refugee talent at no cost to you.
WehelpUkraine.org: WehelpUkraine.org, also called WU, is a platform focused on helping Ukrainian refugees find living support worldwide. WU is part of this special initiative alongside Remote and is working in collaboration with the government of Portugal to list helpful resources for Ukrainian refugees.

Remote’s mission is to help build a world where every person and every business belongs in the global market. We are fully committed to creating useful resources and working with governments and organizations to help refugees rebuild their lives. If you have questions regarding the current crisis or need help with your Ukrainian team members employed through Remote, please contact your Remote representative.