More and more Ukrainian young people who have fled to our country want to build their future here. They notice this at Fyner legal aid in Tilburg. Every week young people knock on the door with questions about their possibilities here. Bohdan Zavhorodnii (18) studies classical singing at the Fontys School of the Arts in Tilburg: “Everything is broken because of the war. Ukraine has no room for classical singers for the time being.”
On March 3 last year, shortly after the outbreak of the war, Bohdan ended up in Tilburg with his parents and brother. They come from the south of Ukraine. In Dnipro, a nearby town, Bohdan studied to be a choral conductor, but when he discovered his singing voice, he changed his course of study.
“The Dutch look happy, they always smile.”
At first glance, Bohdan is a modest, quiet boy. But when he starts singing, his deep voice effortlessly fills the auditorium of his education. He likes it in the Netherlands: “I really like cycling. Funny to see how streamlined you cycle behind each other. The people are very nice. They are direct, but I like that. They look happy, they are always smiling.”
The difference with his home country is enormous: “It feels like I live in a different world. I haven’t been home for a year, in my own room.” Yet, at the moment, he is happy here. And he wants to stay here: “That is my intention.” Bohdan falls silent and looks out the window for a moment. “Maybe we should integrate here. I am learning Dutch. I can already understand it a bit.”
Refugees like Bohdan and his family have a special status in our country. Normally, refugees are not allowed to work in our country and if they have a provisional residence permit, they must integrate. That does not apply to Ukrainians at all now.
90,000 Ukrainians have fled to the Netherlands. Figures from Statistics Netherlands show that almost half of Ukrainians between the ages of 15 and 65 work in our country. But the regulation that protects them will only apply until March 4 next year.
“What if the war goes on for ten or fifteen years?”
“It is temporary and therefore uncertain,” says Jorrit Schoots of Fyner Rechtshulp in Tilburg. He receives many questions from Ukrainian young people: “Especially they want to know what their future will look like. They were studying in their country when the war broke out and are now continuing their studies here or are working. What if they want to stay longer in the Netherlands? What if the war in Ukraine goes on for ten or fifteen years? Then they might want to build a life here.”
This uncertain future bothers Bohdan: “Because I would like to stay longer. I see more opportunities here. There are more creative people here.”
Schoots sees that more Ukrainian refugees are looking for legal assistance. He helps them in their contacts with the IND, the immigration and naturalization service: “There are so many rules and so much is unclear. We explain the refugee’s personal situation and help them with an application for a longer stay.”
Bohdan now concentrates on his studies in Tilburg: “It is close by. I’m used to it and everyone knows me here. What the future brings? I really can’t say.”
Waiting for privacy settings…