Austrian Efforts to Support Ukrainian Refugees
Austria is assuring support for Ukrainian refugees. Austria takes care legally, financially and in humanitarian terms that Ukrainian refugees feel welcome in Austria. Read more about Austria's efforts to support Ukrainian refugees in Austria.
Displaced Ukrainian woman arriving in Austria. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; Pakkin Leung, CC BY 4.0
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine caused many Ukrainians to leave their homes. As reported by Vindobona.org, the UN estimates that 5 million people fled Ukraine and another 7 million are internally displaced.
As reported by Vindobona.org, the many Ukrainian protection seekers who have arrived in Austria in recent months pushed the number of inhabitants to over 9 million for the first time. According to the preliminary results of Statistics Austria, a total of 52,803 people with Ukrainian citizenship lived in Austria on April 1, 2022.
Austria is assuring support for Ukrainian refugees. The efforts of the Austrian government and civil society are immense.
Austria assured legal support for Ukrainian refugees
In order to be able to help these people and to facilitate their arrival and living in Austria, changes in the law are needed.
The Austrian Parliament initiated an amendment to the Integration Act and the Recognition and Assessment Act. Since people displaced from Ukraine are granted protection in Austria, it was necessary to make the amendments to the two laws, so that support can be provided to Ukrainian refugees, as reported by Vindobona.org.
These changes will help that, firstly, displaced persons from Ukraine can also benefit from all integration measures such as German courses or orientation assistance and, secondly, the proof of their professional qualifications will be simpler and faster. People displaced from Ukraine should also be covered by the amended Integration Law to facilitate their access to all integration measures.
As reported by Vindobona.org, under the new Recognition and Assessment Act, Ukrainians will have easier access to recognition and nostrification procedures for their educational and professional qualifications. The competent authorities will determine qualifications through theoretical and practical examinations or work samples for those who cannot provide the required documents due to their absconding.
This legislation changes followed the decree of the Minister of the Interior granting the right of residence in Austria to Ukrainian citizens and third-country nationals who already had a protection status in Ukraine before the beginning of the war. Family members, i.e. spouses, minor children and other close relatives, are also included.
Another regulation, which was approved unanimously, ensures that people who have fled Ukraine are also included in health insurance.
As Vindobona.org reported, Austria also changed in the last days the conditions for the work permit, The Red-White-Red Card, which should generally make it easier for foreigners with non-EEA citizenship to find work in Austria.
In this way, the Austrian government wants to legally secure, among other things, assistance for Ukrainian refugees in Austria.
Austrian financial and humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees
Many Ukrainian displaced persons need to be helped. So Austria is trying to help in financial and humanitarian terms.
Women and children are the hardest hit. Many women fled with their children from the Russian invasion, while the men stayed in Ukraine to defend the country in the Ukrainian army.
The needs of women and children must therefore be given special attention.
As reported by Vindobona.org, due to the humanitarian crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will launch a joint project to provide aid to war-displaced persons from Ukraine, especially women and children.
The plan is to jointly invest 400,000 euros by the end of August to help the suffering people. "The aid for people displaced by war from Ukraine is not only provided in Austria, but also in the immediately neighboring and particularly affected states. The focus is primarily on measures that support women and children," says Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner about the joint project between the Ministry of the Interior and the IOM.
These measures include psychological care for traumatized people, access to information regarding onward travel and legal resettlement, legal counseling and the search for family members, parenting workshops and the creation of a supportive environment.
As reported by VIndobona.org, the Austrian government has set up “registration points” throughout Austria to help manage the humanitarian disaster by processing refugees entering the country and administering immediate aid to those in need. As Austria’s largest city and an international hub, Vienna has registered a significant amount of refugees in the country. In addition to temporary protection, the Austrian government has provided Ukrainian refugees with unrestricted access to the labor market as well as eligibility for welfare benefits.
Austria strives to integrate Ukrainian displaced persons into the labor market and to secure education and residence. To this end, many active support measures are offered in the area of integration. Projects by NGOs, but also by the state itself. German courses, accommodation and financial aid.
In addition to the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministries of Labor, Integration and Education are involved in these projects.
Further, a joint staff has been set up in the Federal Chancellery to bundle all information on the long-term integration of Ukrainians.
Help is also to be provided in the area of education, and children's start in Austrian school life is to be made easier."Ukrainian children and young people should be integrated into our school system as quickly as possible and supported in learning our language," assured Education Minister Martin Polaschek.
As reported by Vindobona.org, over 40,000 cards providing labor and welfare access have already been sent out by the Austrian employment service (AMS). On top of this, the Austrian government has pledged € 27.5 million in humanitarian aid to help Ukraine and other countries, such as Moldova, manage the crisis.
Many private individuals show great solidarity with the fate of the people in Ukraine and an enormous willingness to help. Especially on social media, quarters are offered for people from Ukraine in need of help.
In order to bundle these initiatives, the "Federal Agency for Care and Support Services" (BBU) has set up a coordination office.
According to Vindobona.org, Peter Hacker, city councilor for social affairs, the willingness of the capital's citizens to help is high. Especially housing donations are particularly important in the current period and many Viennese are trying to make their contribution too.
Austrian efforts to help are great, especially in civil society morale is high to help people from Ukraine.