Temporary Protection for Ukrainians in the EU, UK, and Canada

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, led to the biggest armed conflict in Europe after WWII and forced more than 6 million Ukrainians to flee. This mass exodus induced the implementation of temporary protection policies worldwide, including the unprecedented activation of the Temporary Protection Directive by the Council of the European Union. Although occasionally applied, temporary protection is a relatively understudied concept, prompting the author to investigate its first-ever wide-scale application. The paper compares the temporary protection policies implemented for Ukrainians in the EU, UK, and Canada. The analysis includes descriptions of temporary protection policies in the chosen jurisdictions, their extensions, and the good and bad practices of their implementation. Since the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a protracted armed conflict, preventing most Ukrainians from a safe return, the paper also explores possible ways of their local integration in the EU, UK, and Canada. By comparing temporary protection policies in the mentioned jurisdictions, the author outlines the most preferred policy, making recommendations for policymakers on improving the delivery of current and future temporary protection policies.