Expert: No “mass influx” of labor migrants into Ukraine

Despite widespread claims on social media about an alleged massive influx of labor migrants from Asian and African countries, the real figures indicate the opposite: the number of foreigners coming to work in Ukraine is currently significantly lower than it was before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

This was stated in a comment to Ukrinform by Andrii Haidutskyi, Doctor of Economics and an expert on migration policy and the development of financial and banking programs for migrants and diasporas.

According to him, before 2022 Ukraine attracted an average of 20,000–25,000 new immigrants annually through work visas. Overall, the expert noted, before the war Ukraine received between 60,000 and 80,000 foreigners each year, including those arriving for education or to start families with Ukrainian citizens.

“With the start of the war, this number dropped sharply: only 8,000 foreigners obtained work permits, while the total number of new arrivals fell to 17,000–18,000 per year,” the expert said.

He stressed that information about “mass migration” to Ukraine does not correspond to reality. According to statistics from the State Employment Service, Ukraine issued 21,800 work permits in 2021, while in 2025 only 9,500 foreigners received labor visas.

“The largest group among them are Turkish citizens – 1,400 people. Around 900 citizens of India also arrived in Ukraine, as well as about the same number of Uzbeks, 600 Azerbaijanis, and roughly the same number of citizens from Bangladesh,” the expert specified.

He added that those receiving work permits also include citizens of developed countries, particularly the United Kingdom, the United States, and France.

Haidutskyi emphasized that, judging by the statistics, it is inappropriate to talk about any large-scale arrival of foreigners.

“This is hype. Such information is being spread by Telegram channels hostile to Ukraine and not interested in the country’s development,” the expert believes.

At the same time, he said that the growing labor shortage is increasingly forcing Ukrainian businesses to look for workers abroad, and 27.5% of employers – more than 5,000 enterprises considering staff recruitment – have already expressed readiness to hire foreigners in 2026.

“The largest number of such employers is in the Kyiv region – around 530 enterprises. It is followed by the Lviv region (354), the Rivne region (326), the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as the city of Kyiv, where 247 companies are ready to recruit foreign workers,” the expert said.

Among industries, the greatest demand for foreign labor is recorded in manufacturing, where more than 1,100 enterprises are seeking workers. Foreigners are also expected to be hired in education (900 enterprises), healthcare (726), wholesale and retail trade, as well as agriculture.

Haidutskyi is convinced that immigration is an important component of a country’s economic development.

“If we look at the correlation between a country’s level of development and the level of immigrant involvement, the more developed the country, the higher the level of immigration. There is not a single poor country in the world with a high level of immigrants!” the expert stressed.

In his opinion, communities and local authorities should be interested in attracting foreigners, as this directly affects the economic activity of regions.

“Due to urbanization, smaller towns are effectively experiencing depopulation. It is very difficult to attract working-age Ukrainians to live and work in district centers. But if foreigners come and take the jobs that Ukrainians are leaving behind, businesses will develop. As a result, Ukrainians themselves will remain in these communities, because population growth creates new opportunities for development, primarily in the service sector,” Haidutskyi argued.

Read also: Russian propaganda spreading anti-migrant sentiment in Ukraine: How topic is manipulated online

According to him, around 90% of foreigners currently residing in Ukraine are of working age, and a significant share of them are involved in the labor market in one way or another, paying taxes and generating domestic demand for goods and services.

The expert also believes that many foreigners view Ukraine as a transit stage before moving to EU countries, but even their temporary stay creates an additional economic effect.

“Every migrant who comes is a consumer of Ukrainian goods and services. They are taxpayers who create demand in transport, hostels, hotels, and public services. We must use this transit potential,” the expert concluded.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine’s successful economic recovery requires an additional 4.5 million workers.