On February 21, 2019, in Odessa, a press conference was held on the topic: “Legal status of foreigners and stateless persons” questions, answers, and comments.
The organizers were the Migration Service of Ukraine in the Odesa region, the International Congress for the Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens “SHIELD,” and the Main Department of Justice of Ukraine in the Odesa region.
Representatives of government agencies answered all questions asked.
Deputy head of the migration service department in the Odesa region, Anatoly Vasilyevich Maksimenko, noted that the department and the justice department are trying to help migrants as much as possible within the framework of the current Ukrainian legislation. However, some people in the institution try to profit from ignorance of the rights of foreign citizens. Therefore, representatives of the migration service and the justice department called on migrants not to contact intermediaries, to contact the authorities only in writing, and to forget about oral statements. In addition, there is now an electronic form of requests, which significantly simplifies the work process. President of the International Congress for the Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens “SHIELD” Daher Saleh Muhamed – it should be noted that Ukrainian laws about foreign citizens are loyal and do not infringe on their rights and freedoms in any way. And their questions and problems arise simply due to ignorance or misunderstanding of their rights. Chief Specialist of the Department of State Registration of Acts of Civil Status of the Office of State Registration of the Main Territorial Department of Justice in the Odesa Region Olga Vasilievna Alimova, Head of the Citizenship Department in the Odesa Region Natalya Alexandrovna, Matyakin Alexander Georgievich Vice-President of the International Congress “SHIELD,” Deputy of the Mykolaiv City Council Vladislav Entin.
The conference was attended by foreigners who have been living on Ukraine’s territory for a long time, the president of the Palestinian diaspora in the city of Odesa, and the president of the Palestine-Ukrainian Friendship organization. Many questions related to problems with the legal status of foreigners and stateless persons were asked.
The SHIELD organization, the migration service, and the Ministry of Justice try to help people even with the essential things: citizenship, documents, and incidents that have arisen. But the main thing is that people turn to us and seek our help. Our doors are always open. I want to assure you that Odessa government agencies and organizations will help solve all the problems and issues that arise.
