Municipalities defy Cabinet: Will keep third-country nationals in refugee shelters

Third-country nationals from Ukraine will not have to leave shelters in several Dutch municipalities for the time being. According to a survey by ANP that included around 300 municipalities, cities like Eindhoven, Groningen, Arnhem, Ede, Deventer, and Roermond have announced that they will not turn these refugees out onto the streets as of Monday.

The term "third-country nationals" refers to individuals from other countries who were working or studying in Ukraine when Russia invaded. Several thousand of them fled to the Netherlands. They initially received the same protections and rights as Ukrainians, but that will end on Monday.

From that day on, they will have to leave the shelters or host families, will lose their right to work, and will no longer receive subsistence allowance. If they have not applied for asylum or a study visa, they must leave the Netherlands within 28 days.

Some courts ruled this week that the Netherlands is not allowed to end protection for three third-country nationals from Ukraine, while others stated that the Cabinet has the right to do so. Both the government and the refugees plan to appeal these decisions to the Council of State, but since the appeal forms have not been submitted yet, the cases cannot be processed before Monday.

In the city of Groningen, 40 third-country nationals are registered. "We will not force people to leave, we will continue to provide shelter. We are doing this to prevent a large influx at the registration center in Ter Apel," the city stated. Eindhoven, citing ongoing legal cases, decided to continue providing shelter for all 98 third-country nationals in the city.

Twenty out of thirty third-country nationals in Ede in the province of Gelderland have applied for asylum. The remaining ten have not yet indicated their plans. "But we won't turn them out on Monday. If we do, where will they go? Will we see them again in homeless shelters? That helps no one," the municipality said.

Deventer told ANP that it would be "lenient with people,” and Arnhem said, "We are a hospitable city and don't just put people on the street."

Other municipalities, including Eemsdelta (Groningen), Aa and Hunze (Drenthe), Waadhoeke and Súdwest-Fryslân (Friesland), Leusden (Utrecht), Diemen, Hilversum, Heemskerk, and Opmeer (Noord-Holland), Beek (Limburg), and Wageningen (Gelderland), are also waiting and will not be evicting third-country nationals from shelters as of Monday.

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland, an organization that works for refugees' interests in the Netherlands, said on Wednesday that a case was still pending before the Council of State, which is yet to determine whether it is legally permissible to end temporary protection for these third-country nationals from Ukraine. The refugee organization has expressed “extreme disappointment” that the temporary reception will be halted on Monday despite the highest court not having reached a decision yet. According to a spokesperson, some third-country nationals might choose to stay in the Netherlands illegally while awaiting the court's ruling. They warned that this could lead to chaos and incalculable consequences for the affected individuals and municipalities.

Mayors also expressed concerns this week, emphasizing that the Cabinet must "take the lead," according to Security Council Chairman Wouter Kolff.

On Friday, the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) advised municipalities to continue providing shelter for third-country nationals from Ukraine until at least October 2, if they are uncertain about the rules. The VNG is seeking clarity for both municipalities and third-country nationals and is urging the Dutch government to prevent "municipalities from making irreversible decisions for which they could be held accountable."