How do I obtain a permanent residence permit for relatives of an immigrant in Ukraine?

Ukrainian legislation contains a regulatory provision for such a case, which stipulates that parents, spouse and minor children of a foreigner with a Permanent Residence Permit can immigrate to Ukraine on the basis of the foreigner’s residency.

Our migration law lawyer will tell you about the procedure of obtaining a Residence Permit on such grounds, how to prepare for the long procedure of obtaining the permit, and how to avoid unnecessary waste of time.

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Procedure for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit for relatives of an immigrant in Ukraine

First, let’s define who and under what criteria can become an immigrant on this basis.

The main criteria that are required by law are as follows:

• The person must reside in Ukraine legally (on the basis of a residence permit, C-type visa, etc.);

• The person must have a valid passport on the basis of which he or she enters Ukraine;

• The person must have family ties with a foreigner legally residing in Ukraine and documents to confirm this.

Please note! The list of relatives who may use this ground is exhaustive. They include:

• an immigrant’s spouse;

• parents of the immigrant;

• an immigrant’s minor children (persons under 18 years of age). 

The preparation procedure of obtaining the Permit  for relatives of an immigrant begins with the development of a package of documents. For this purpose, our lawyers usually ask for a set list of documents:

• a copy of the foreigner’s passport;

• a copy of the document confirming the legality of stay on the territory of Ukraine (passport page with a border crossing stamp or C-type visa, permit)

• documents confirming family ties with a citizen of Ukraine;

• a certificate of residence in the country of citizenship;

• a certificate of no criminal record in the country of citizenship

• a copy of the Residence Permit of the host country.

Please note! Depending on the nature of the family ties, you may need different supporting documents, as we will discuss next. There are also complicated cases when such documents are lost; in such a situation, the first thing to do is to recover or obtain duplicates of these documents. 

If a foreigner is abroad and only plans to start the procedure of obtaining documents in Ukraine, then first of all he/she will need to coordinate with the authorities regarding the entry into the country. Situation will be simpler for the citizens, who have a simplified border-crossing regime with Ukraine and don't need any visa – these are Georgia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Russia etc. Other foreigners will need to obtain a C-type visa or a Residence Permit prior to arrival.

Our lawyers can also help with an invitation letter to Ukraine and visa documents preparation.

Our lawyers prepare the following documents for a visa:

• notarized translation of the foreigner’s passport;

• notarized translations of documents confirming family ties;

• a health insurance policy;

• an invitation letter to Ukraine from a relative residing here.

If a foreigner is on the territory of Ukraine, we prepare a package of documents and agree upon the date of visit of our lawyer with the Client to the State Migration Service (hereinafter - SMS) to apply for the immigration permit.

Our lawyers prepare the following documents for immigration:

- notarized translation of the foreigner’s passport;

- a document confirming the person does not suffer from chronic alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction or infectious diseases (we will send you to a specialized institution);

- a certificate of no criminal record in Ukraine;

- notarized translations of documents confirming family ties:

• for a spouse, the original marriage certificate (with translation);

• for parents, you need an original birth certificate of a host party, in which they are listed as parents (with translation);

• for children, it will be necessary to provide an original birth certificate, where a host party is listed as one of the parents (with translation);

- a notarized application for accommodation and financial support from the host party.

Once the documents for an immigration permit have been submitted, the SMS together with the authorized bodies (Police, Security Service, Border Guard Service, Interpol) starts a full verification of the submitted documents, the legality of the grounds for stay and immigration. This procedure cannot last more than one year.

When all the checks are done and the answers from the authorized bodies are received, the SMS makes a decision on granting an immigrattion permit for a foreigner in Ukraine. 

The validity period of the permit is 1 year from the date of its signing by the head of the SMS.

After you have got the permit, you need to apply for a residence permit. For this purpose, people from visa-free countries must submit the document, while others must obtain a D-01 visa first.

Please note! Our legal services include full organization of the process of obtaining a residence permit, so we will take care of the correct and certified translation of all necessary documents, and also of such aspects of preparation, as preparing a health insurance policy in Ukraine. The cost of these services are included in our packages, which you can check here.

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Advantages and disadvantages of obtaining a Residence Permit through family ties with an immigrant in Ukraine

Kinship with a person who has already legalized his/her stay in Ukraine is not the only way to get a residence permit. However, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that this is the way to obtain a Permanent residence permit, which provides the following advantages:

• This ground allows a foreigner to immigrate to Ukraine without obtaining a residence permit;

• A foreigner becomes a resident in Ukraine and does not need to obtain a work permit;

• After getting a positive immigration decision, you obtain a Residence Permit for 10 years.

• After 5 years of continuous residence on the territory of Ukraine, a foreigner can obtain Ukrainian citizenship.

However, obtaining a Residence Permit in Ukraine has also some disadvantages to (mainly in terms of waiting time and technical):

• Consideration period is 1 year minimum;

• Immigration quota is limited in number and is set by the CMU for each calendar year;

• Brothers/sisters, grandparents do not fall under this criterion, the law provides for other ways of legalizing their stay in Ukraine.

If you want to move to Ukraine as a family, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will analyze your situation and help you choose the best way to achieve your goal.

Obtaining a Residence Permit with us means that the entire process will be arranged by skilled practitioners. We will take care of the safety and comfort of your arrival to Ukraine.

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Everything about the procedure for obtaining a Residence Permit in Ukraine here.