politics
February 18, 2026
No special treatment for Ukrainian migrants
The president of the Czech parliament’s lower house, Tomio Okamura, has opposed easing conditions for Ukrainians seeking long-term residency
TL;DR
- Tomio Okamura, president of the Czech parliament’s lower house, believes Ukrainians should not get preferential treatment for long-term residence permits.
- His party, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), will oppose proposals to ease conditions for Ukrainian migrants.
- Okamura argues that all foreigners must meet the same standard conditions.
- Currently, 393,000 Ukrainians have temporary protection in the Czech Republic, with 16,000 granted long-term residence permits last year.
- Other EU countries, including Germany, Hungary, and Poland, have recently scaled back social programs for Ukrainian migrants.
- Poland's new law will align Ukrainian migrants' rights with those of other non-EU migrants, reducing benefits.