Important Immigration Information in Light of Ongoing Political Unrest

Employers with operations in Ukraine will be closely monitoring the deteriorating political situation, particularly in Crimea, and making or implementing emergency response plans to ensure protection of staff and business continuity. Those plans must include a full consideration of all relevant immigration issues including:

• The possible need to remove staff, including foreign nationals on assignment and any dependents, from Ukraine, potentially even if the governments of any foreign nationals are not in a position to provide evacuation facilities; 
• The viability of moving staff and dependents to a safe third-country location, including the visa requirements and processing times in the third country; 
• The identification of individuals with potential immigration issues, such as imminent visa expirations, overstays or lost passports; and 
• The likely impact on the deployment of essential staff to Ukraine during the crisis, including delays in processing times.

As we have reported previously, the political unrest has caused closures of government offices and private businesses. Last week, Ukraine’s immigration agency reopened and began accepting cases, but the situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable and immigration processing delays will likely continue through the near future.

Fragomen is experienced in assisting clients with the immigration aspects of risk management, such as the development and implementation of emergency response plans, and is currently working on strategies for Ukraine. Employers needing assistance should contact the global immigration professional with whom they work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].