Hostage of Bureaucracy: Ukrainian Refugee Talks about Issues in Estonia.

Many Ukrainian refugees are integrated into Estonian society

Many Ukrainian refugees in Estonia work, study at local universities, and learn the Estonian language. However, they sometimes face restrictions and cannot take full advantage of the benefits available to local residents with permanent or urgent residence permits, instead of temporary protection status. This is reported by Postimees.

For example, Ukrainian Kyrylo, who moved to Estonia over two years ago, cannot purchase a car on lease despite having a high-paying job and a higher education obtained in Estonia.

«At the end of September, due to the cold weather and the need to frequently travel to the office which is located in Tallinn, and since I live in Tartu, I decided to consider buying a car. Since I have a permanent employment contract, the probationary period is over, and my salary is much higher than average, I decided to approach several Estonian banks – LHV, Swedbank, SEB – with a request for car leasing. All three banks refused me because my residence permit is valid for less than a year», – Kyrylo explains.

From September 11, the Estonian Social Insurance Board plans to provide one-time rental assistance only to Ukrainian refugees who have recently arrived in the country. Currently, the compensation does not depend on the refugees' income and all those who arrived in Estonia since February 24, 2022, and have received temporary protection can apply. The maximum compensation amount is €1200.

Ukrainian refugees living in Estonia now have to buy tickets for trains of the state railway company Elron, instead of traveling for free as before. They can receive discounts on individual tickets, purchasing them online or at ticket machines.