The Ukrainians are massively being refused schengen visas, despite the promises of the Ukrainian government to ensure visa free regime. The Europeans therefore try to protect themselves from potential illegal labour, as the Ukrainians are used to going abroad for work. 

It has become much more difficult for Ukrainian residents to get a schengen visa, according to the newspaper “Vesti”. “Some consulates require more documents and refuse visas more often, referring to “the unfounded purpose of the trip” mentioned in the visa application form, or give visas for a minimum period“, a representative of a visa intermediator firm says. 

According to him, even shopping visa to Poland (it is issued in the Western regions) now requires a large package of documents, including a bank statement.

The expert on European politics Oleg Kravchenko noted that the number of the Ukrainians who were refused a visa without any explanation has significantly increased. “Most of the refusals are coming from South European countries with high unemployment, as they are trying to protect themselves from potential cheap labour workers,” the expert said. 

According to the statistics, the consulates of Spain, Portugal and Greece, where the Ukrainians are massively used to going for work, have increased a number of refusals by about two times. It is difficult to obtain visas to richer countries like Belgium, Finland, or Sweden. However, it is relatively easy to obtain schengen visas in the consulates of Latvia and Lithuania. 

The newspaper’s sources in the Consulate General of Poland in Lviv say that in recent months they have decided to decrease a number of issued visas “to the minimum“. “The main reason is that after the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe, the Poles are unlikely to issue a lot of visas. Moreover, life in Ukraine is getting worse, the Donbass conflict has not ended yet, many people in Poland are worried about the flow of migrants from Ukraine. The Polish authorities are not enthusiastic about promises of visa free regime.”