Financial Support for Ukrainian Refugees Will Be Reduced 0 29

This year, the flow of Ukrainians arriving in Latvia remains relatively stable — on average, 500–600 people are re-registering each month for temporary protection status in Latvia. At the same time, the influx of Ukrainians is significantly lower than in the early years of the war.

In 2025, the number of individuals whose temporary protection status was revoked in Latvia significantly increased, as they did not apply for a new one within a month after their visa or residence permit expired. As of October 1, 2025, the Register of Natural Persons listed 31,152 residents of Ukraine, of which 17,167 were women, 13,985 were men, and 6,977 were minors.

The situation for Ukrainians in the labor market is gradually improving, the ministry notes. According to the Ministry of Finance, in June of this year, 9,909 Ukrainian citizens were in employment relationships. Since 2022, both the number of employed individuals and their income have been steadily increasing.

To implement the support plan in 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated 65 million euros. The funding for 2026 amounts to 39,717,846 euros. Given the reduction in funding, it is necessary to reconsider the volume of support and services provided to the civilian population of Ukraine.

Currently, the state provides the right to receive a one-time allowance for the start of employment or self-employment equal to one minimum monthly salary. Considering that Ukrainians are already engaged in the labor market or are involved in economic activities, as well as the availability of other general employment support mechanisms, the continuation of this allowance is no longer relevant, the Ministry of the Interior believes.

At the same time, Ukrainians will retain the right to access the services of the State Employment Agency to the same extent as Latvian citizens.

The adopted changes stipulate that Ukrainians will have the same rights and the same extent of benefits for travel and baggage transport on subsidized regional routes as the passenger categories for which such benefits are established by regulations.

In the future, Ukrainian citizens will not be exempt from paying the patient’s share when receiving medical services — they will have to pay this part themselves.

At the same time, Ukrainians will retain the right to receive state medical services to the same extent as individuals insured in the Latvian mandatory state health insurance system, that is, on the same terms and to the same extent as other residents of Latvia.

Additionally, Ukrainians will no longer have their expenses for registering their animals and fulfilling mandatory veterinary requirements reimbursed.