The Lithuanian government on Wednesday renewed temporary residence permits for Ukrainian conflict refugees for another year.
The interim protection period, which was supposed to expire in March 2025, has been extended until March 4, 2026.
According to the Migration Department, 30 to 40 new applications for temporary residency permits are submitted every day.
Currently, over 44,300 individuals hold valid residence permits in Lithuania under the temporary protection scheme.
Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said the extension will reduce the administrative burden for Ukrainians as they will have a longer valid residence permit and it will also reduce the workload of the Migration Department’s staff.
This extension request is consistent with an EU-wide resolution reached in June of this year.
The EU implemented the interim protection mechanism on March 4, 2022, shortly after Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine.
The mechanism provides collective protection to displaced Ukrainians and affords them rights like as residency, job, housing, medical treatment, and education for their children.
