There are no plans to return: where in Europe do refugees from Ukraine pay the most?

The highest payments for Ukrainian refugees in Europe are in Belgium. Adults who are not married receive about 1,100 euros per month there, have state health insurance and the right to public housing if necessary, DW* reports.

In Germany, Ukrainians receive a civil allowance (Bürrgergeld) like the German unemployed — 563 euros per month per person. Rental costs and medical insurance are also covered.

In Britain, one of the assistance programs, Homes for Ukraine, offers free housing from private individuals. Citizens of Ukraine receive a lump sum payment of about 230 euros. The persons receiving them, who are also their guarantors, receive a little more than 400 euros per month. The first child in a refugee family receives a weekly payment of just under 30 euros. Each subsequent child receives a little less than 20 euros per week. There are also benefits for caring for children who are not yet attending school. Pensioners (aged 66 or 67 years and older) are entitled to up to 230 euros per week.

In Sweden, Ukrainian adults without sources of income do not receive monthly payments, but only daily allowances — about 190 euros per month, and children — up to 140 euros per month.

In Hungary, Ukrainian refugees receive only about 55 euros per month plus an additional 34 euros for each child. Since last year, refugees from Western Ukraine have not been eligible for free accommodation in state refugee centers.

Finally, there are no permanent cash payments in Poland at all; the government even canceled a one-time payment of just under 70 euros for every adult citizen of Ukraine. However, Ukrainian refugees can get a personal identification number. This allows them to work or study, as well as receive free medical care. Ukrainian families are entitled to a little less than 190 euros per month for the first child; this amount is reduced for the second child. Payments are higher for disabled children, and children with chronic diseases can qualify for social assistance.

At the same time, DW* claims that "high social benefits for Ukrainians are less important than prospects on the labor market." In addition, Ukrainian refugees, "as a rule, do not give preference to countries located in close proximity to Ukraine." According to the head of the ifo Migration Research Center, Panu Poutvaar, if in the first months of a full-scale war Russia in In Ukraine, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian refugees planned to return to their homeland soon or as soon as it became safe, and less than one in ten wanted to live outside Ukraine forever, then over time the proportion of those planning to return to Ukraine has declined. Now only about half have expressed a desire to return home, and about a quarter plan to stay abroad.

*An organization performing the functions of a foreign agent