The German government has reportedly agreed to begin treating new Ukrainian arrivals on par with other refugees
The German government has agreed to terminate the preferential treatment of Ukrainians, bringing their benefits down to the level of refugees from other nations, Bild newspaper has reported.
Germany has become one of the top destinations for Ukrainians since the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Currently, an estimated 1.1 million Ukrainians reside in the country.
Ukrainian refugees have been given preferential treatment by Berlin, but now the program is bound to end after the German government agreed on the matter on Tuesday, according to Bild reporting, citing senior officials.
Under the scheme introduced early into the Ukraine conflict, the country’s nationals were eligible in Germany for some €563 monthly allowance, with additional support for rent and other amenities. Asylum seekers from elsewhere receive only around €180 monthly along with other benefits.
All the Ukrainians who came to Germany after April 1, 2025, will be treated as regular asylum seekers, while earlier arrivals will retain their enhanced benefits, according to Bild. The government originally considered applying the measure retroactively to all the Ukrainian refugees in the country, but the plan has been reportedly deemed too complicated to implement.
“The bureaucratic effort would have been too great… that’s not worth it. The important thing is that we regulated this,” a senior government official told the newspaper.
The development comes shortly after another hotspot for Ukrainian migrants, Poland, heavily tightened the rules for Ukrainian refugees. In late September, it adopted new legislation cutting access to benefits for those who do not work in the country.
Ukrainian refugees have also been cut off from food benefits in the US, with the change stemming from President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ signed in July. The legislation reduced federal payments to individuals living in the US under temporary protected status or humanitarian parole, redefining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and restricting it only to US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and a few other groups.
