Immigration lawyer in Ukraine

An immigration lawyer in Ukraine handles the legal side of a foreigner's stay: choosing the ground for residence, preparing files for the State Migration Service and the employment authority, and representing the client when an authority refuses a permit or orders a return. We work from Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro and remotely with clients and employers abroad.

Why hand it to a team. An immigration matter in Ukraine usually involves two or three linked procedures, for example a work permit on the employer's side and a residence permit on the employee's side. Their timelines differ, and we plan them together so the person never stays in the country without a valid ground between steps.

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Immigration services for foreigners in Ukraine

Corporate immigration: relocating employees to Ukraine

A Ukrainian employer may hire a foreign national on the basis of a permit issued by the territorial bodies of the central authority for employment and labour migration (Article 42 of the Law of Ukraine "On Employment of the Population"). The law names separate categories: hired foreign employees, posted foreign employees and intra-corporate transferees, among others.

• For a hired employee the permit runs for the term of the employment contract, up to two years. For posted workers and intra-corporate transferees it may run up to three years.
• The permit fee depends on its term, from three to ten subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons.
• The employer files the application, a copy of the passport pages with a certified translation, a photo and the draft employment contract. Posted workers need the services contract between the Ukrainian and foreign companies; transferees need the foreign company's transfer decision.
• Permits for citizens of Russia, Belarus and other states recognised as a threat to Ukraine are agreed with the Security Service of Ukraine.
• Once the employee holds the work permit and a temporary residence permit, the stay is lawful for the period of work.

For a company opening an office, the order matters: the entity or representative office is registered first, then the permits, then residence. We map this sequence before anyone moves.

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Appeals: refusals, forced return and expulsion

Decisions of the migration service, the border guard service or the Security Service on forced return or expulsion are challenged in a local general court acting as an administrative court. The court must decide within ten days of filing; an appeal is filed within ten days of the judgment, and these cases carry no court fee. Refusals to issue residence permits or immigration permits are also challenged in court.

Citizenship of Ukraine for foreigners

Naturalisation requires five years of continuous residence on a permanent basis, an immigration permit, lawful income and exams on the basics of the Constitution, the history of Ukraine and the state language. The five-year condition does not apply to spouses of Ukrainian citizens married for more than three years; recognised refugees and foreigners serving under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine have shorter terms.

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Sources: Law of Ukraine "On Employment of the Population" No. 5067-VI, Articles 42, 42-1 to 42-4; Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons" No. 3773-VI, Articles 4, 26, 30; Code of Administrative Procedure of Ukraine, Article 288; Law of Ukraine "On Citizenship of Ukraine" No. 2235-III, Article 9.

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