Travel and Reintegration Assistance

The IOM Mission in Ukraine assists migrants enrolled in a number of resettlement programmes, facilitates relocation of Ukrainian citizens from conflict zones and fosters reintegration of Ukrainians voluntarily returning from Europe and Canada.

The U.S. Refugee Admission Programme (USRAP), funded by the Department of State‘s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, is one of the largest continuing activities of IOM, currently operating in over 40 countries. Since 1996, the IOM Mission in Ukraine has organized travel for over 65,500 persons to the U.S. as part of this programme. Before departure, USRAP beneficiaries attend IOM-organized cultural orientation sessions. Migrants are referred to IOM by other organizations, mostly UNHCR. 

IOM Ukraine also provided logistics assistance to over 620 persons resettling to Denmark, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria thanks to resettlement programmes funded by the respective governments. 

In the framework of the Canada Refugee Programme, over 180 natives of Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries were supported by the IOM Mission in Ukraine.

In 2012, IOM, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, evacuated about 150 Ukrainians, mainly women and children, from war-torn Syria. Earlier, IOM evacuated Ukrainian citizens, as well as other foreigners, from Libya. 

Since 2003, IOM Ukraine has been providing reintegration assistance to Ukrainian nationals who are voluntarily returning from abroad due to the lack of legal grounds for further stay or similar reasons. Currently IOM assists Ukrainian returnees from such countries as Italy, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland, the Slovak Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Georgia. IOM’s services include airport and onward transportation assistance, short term accommodation upon request, vocational training and assistance in setting up a small business.