Two years after the start of the war in the neighboring country, the Republic of Moldova continues to offer all its support to Ukrainians and other categories of migrants driven out by the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Almost 1.4 million Ukrainians entered our country after February 24, 2022. More than 116 thousand are now within the country, and more than 2 thousand Ukrainians have already obtained the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova.

The General Inspectorate for Migration’s data (GIM) for 2023shows an 11% increase in the number of applications for residency received by migration officers. These are provisional or permanent stay applications, requests for family reunification or for repatriation, etc. After the reorganization, GIM has increased the quality of the services provided to investors, representatives of the business environment regarding the documentation of foreigners, including citizens from the EU member states entering the Republic of Moldova for the purpose of work, studies and not only.

Mihail VODA, Head of the General Inspectorate for Migration within the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated:

”The institutional reorganization allowed us to keep up with the priorities in the field of migration and asylum which our country has assumed on its journey towardsEU membership. At the same time, the General Inspectorate for Migration has become more effective in implementing the temporary protection mechanism for displaced persons from Ukraine, who have found here a shelter or their second home”.

We should remember that a year ago, in the context of an unprecedented influx of migrants generated by the war in Ukraine, the GIM's duties have been redeployed to North, Center and South Regional Directorates. The reorganization allowed the competent authority for foreigners to get closer to the citizens, to optimize the documentation of displaced persons and to improve the monitoring of the residence regime throughout the national country.