Author
Historically, asylum seekers have enjoyed only very limited access to work in Ukraine. In order to legally employ an asylum seeker, employers had to offer a salary ten times higher than the Ukrainian minimum wage. In September 2022, the Parliament changed the law to suspend this rule.
Thus, the present algorithm for hiring an asylum seeker is the following:
Asylum seekers in Ukraine have the right to be employed in Ukraine with a work permit for foreigners and stateless persons, which is issued to the employer.[1] The permit is issued by the territorial body of the Employment Centres within seven business days and is free of charge.[2] The permit is issued for the period of validity of the MSID, but not more than one year. The permit may be extended if the MSID is renewed. In 2023, Employment Centres issued four such work permits.
One of the obstacles for asylum seekers to be employed is the absence of TIN as a person needs to possess ID for its issuance. An asylum seeker can obtain a verified by the SMS copy of their ID, kept in the SMS and receive a TIN based on this copy. In case of the absence of any ID or verified copy, the TIN cannot be issued.[3]
The issuance and extension of work permits for citizens of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, as well as other states recognised as posing a threat to Ukraine, is carried out in coordination with the regional bodies of the Security Service of Ukraine.[4] This requirement was added after the full-scale invasion of Russia. Employers often are not willing to hire Russians and Belarusians because of this provision.[5]
[1] Article 24 Law on Employment.
[2] Diia, Work Permission for Foreigners and Stateless Persons, available in Ukrainian here.
[3] Section III(1)(3) Regulation on the Registration of Individuals in the State Register of Individuals-Taxpayers.
[4] Article 24 Law on Employment.
[5] R2P.