Ukraine needs to streamline and eliminate contradictions in its new foreigner registration procedure

Ukraine needs to streamline and eliminate contradictions in its new foreigner registration procedure, says the European Business Association. In one glaring contradiction, as of June 1, foreigners are required to obtain biometric ID cards – but the machines are not in place. “High-quality foreign specialists have to go through a long bureaucratic path to get a job in Ukraine,” complains Anna Derevyanko, the Association’s executive director. Noting that the State Employment Service reports that 12,409 foreigners were officially employed in Ukraine last year, Derevyanko estimates that 5 million Ukrainians now work outside the country. Arguing that foreigners often create jobs, she says: “Let’s be honest – we need to work on creating a quality migration policy in Ukraine.”