One of the EU countries plans to increase payments to Ukrainian refugees: how much money will be given

The Czech Republic plans to increase payments to Ukrainian refugees, including housing, starting in August due to the expiration of the right to free temporary residence, which will cost the budget an additional 1.6 billion crowns per year. At the same time, the Czech police are conducting inspections of refugees' places of residence due to the growing number of cases of fake data submission.

This was reported by uamedia.eu. The Czech government seeks to motivate foreigners with temporary protection to look for housing on the market, and this is exactly what the new resolution of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is aimed at.

Current benefits and their changes

Currently, Ukrainian refugees receive payments calculated based on housing costs. The amounts of these payments depend on the age of the refugees, the length of their stay in the Czech Republic, and the type of housing:

• CZK 6,000 (UAH 10,446) per month for children under 18 and refugees staying in the Czech Republic for less than 150 days in apartments registered by the Ministry as refugee housing, and CZK 4,800 (UAH 8,357) for unregistered housing;
• For other refugees, it is 3,000 CZK (5,337 UAH) in apartments and 2,400 CZK (4,178 UAH) in unregistered housing.

The Ministry offers two options for increasing the payments. Namely:

• first option: the allowance is calculated for a maximum of three people, and the expenses taken into account are 8,000 (UAH 13,928) and 5,000 kroons (UAH 8,705) in apartments registered as refugee housing, and 6,400 (UAH 11,142) and 4,000 kroons (UAH 6,964) in non-registered apartments;
• the second option: if five people live together, the amount will be 6,000 (UAH 10,446) and 4,000 CZK, regardless of whether the housing is registered or not.

Cost to the state budget

The proposed changes have financial implications for the Czech state budget. Namely:

• first option: additional costs will amount to 1.6 billion CZK per year;
• second option: additional costs will amount to 1.4 billion CZK per year. The abolition of free temporary housing, on the other hand, will reduce costs by 1.92 billion CZK per year.

Checks and control of refugee accommodation

Due to the increase in cases of fake data submission, the Czech police have started checking the places of residence of Ukrainian refugees. They oblige Ukrainians who have been granted temporary protection to provide up-to-date information about their place of residence. Previously, the police were limited to checking documents for forgery, but now law enforcement officers have begun to conduct actual visits to the specified addresses.

If a person does not live at the address provided, the information provided is considered false, which may lead to the loss of the opportunity to receive financial support from the Czech state. False information about the place of residence can have serious consequences, especially given that the Czech Republic is one of the top 3 countries by the number of Ukrainians arriving. The validity of temporary protection for refugees in the Czech Republic has been extended until March 4, 2026, so the issue of the correctness of the data submitted is extremely important.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, starting July 1, 2024, the Polish government will introduce new rules governing the stay of Ukrainians, including the obligation to immediately obtain a PESEL and present a foreign passport. Also, Ukrainian refugees will continue to receive financial assistance, and Polish citizens who have sheltered them will no longer receive maintenance payments.

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