The foreigner of Ukrainian origin is a person having the nationality of any other state or a stateless person and also having Ukrainian ethnic origin or originating from Ukraine.
Ukrainian ethnic origin means the belonging of a person or his/her ancestors to Ukrainian nation and the recognition by him/her of Ukraine as the motherland of his/her ethnic origin.
The decision to grant, deny or terminate the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin shall be made by the National Commission on Foreigners of Ukrainian Origin to be established at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. When a favourable decision to grant the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin is made, the National Commission shall issue a certificate in the prescribed form.
The Certificate of Foreigner of Ukrainian Origin is a document certifying such status rather than substituting the passport. The Certificate of Foreigner of Ukrainian Origin shall be issued for 10 years, subject to subsequent re-registration.
Please find detailed information regarding the procedure for obtaining the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin on the web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in the section titled "Obtaining the Status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin".
Being a foreigner of Ukrainian origin offers the following advantages:
A foreigner of Ukrainian origin staying in Ukraine on legal grounds shall have the same rights and freedoms and bear the same obligations as a citizen of Ukraine, except as provided in the Constitution of Ukraine, the laws of Ukraine or international treaties, the consent to the binding nature of which treaties is granted by the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine.
Pursuant to Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine "On Foreigners of Ukrainian Origin", foreigners and stateless persons of Ukrainian ethnic origin or originating from Ukraine who are 16 years old and are not citizens of Ukraine shall have the right to obtain the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin and a Certificate of Foreigner of Ukrainian Origin.
A person willing to obtain the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin shall file a written application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if in Ukraine; to a foreign diplomatic mission of Ukraine, if abroad.
The following documents shall be attached to the application for granting the status of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin:
In addition, written evidence of Ukrainian nationals or foreigners of Ukrainian origin (not less than three persons) may be attached to the documents to confirm Ukrainian ethnic origin or origin from Ukraine, as well as a reference letter from a non-governmental organization of foreigners of Ukrainian origin of which the applicant is a member.
The fee for the issue of certificate is charged in the currency of the country of the applicant's residence in the equivalent of 10 US dollars to be transferred to one of bank accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
To obtain more detailed information, please refer to the Department on Foreigners of Ukrainian Origin and Ethno-Confessional Dialogue of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at 1 Mykhailivska Ploshcha Kyiv, 01018, Ukraine; fax: (+ 38-044) 238 18 36, telephone: (+ 38-044) 238 15 37, (+ 38-044) 238 18 51, e-mail: [email protected].
Pursuant to the applicable laws of Ukraine, admission of foreigners of Ukrainian origin to higher education institutions to obtain a degree for the account of funds of the state budget of Ukraine shall be made:
Under quotas set for the admission of foreigners of Ukrainian origin to higher education institutions of Ukraine within the system of the Ministry of Education and Science (to other higher education institutions (exclusive of medical schools), subject to approval by ministries to which such higher education institutions are subordinated).
The admission under quotas set for foreigners of Ukrainian origin shall be made subject to results of an interview on subjects set out in the admission regulations of a higher education institution.
Pursuant to an international treaty on cooperation in the area of education with the country of which the foreigner of Ukrainian origin is a citizen. The selection of foreigners of Ukrainian origin to be educated at higher education institutions of Ukraine shall be made by the industry-specific ministry in the country of permanent residence of a foreigner of Ukrainian origin.
The admission shall be made pursuant to an assignment issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Quotas for full-time education of foreigners of Ukrainian origin at higher education institutions of Ukraine for the account of the funds of the state budget of Ukraine are allocated provided that a foreigner of Ukrainian origin intends to get a certain degree in higher education for the first time. No allocation of quotas shall be made for obtaining a master's degree on the basis of a bachelor's degree obtained in other field.
The said quotas shall not extend to Ukrainian nationals living in foreign countries.
Foreigners of Ukrainian origin intending to be admitted to higher education institutions of Ukraine in accordance with the quotas for foreigners of Ukrainian origin have to prove their status by a Certificate of Foreigner of Ukrainian Origin, have a document on full general secondary education, with marks equivalent to "excellent" and "good" marks, which document entitles its holder to be admitted to higher education institutions in the country of his/her residence, be fluent in the Ukrainian language at the level sufficient for obtaining education. Foreigners of Ukrainian origin lacking knowledge of Ukrainian may be admitted to preparatory departments at higher education institutions.
Information on the allocation of quotas for foreigners of Ukrainian origin and document submission deadlines may be obtained from a diplomatic institution of Ukraine in the country of residence, which information is annually updated by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in February-March.
The documents shall be submitted to the diplomatic institution of Ukraine in the country of residence of foreigners of Ukrainian origin.
Deadlines for submission of documents, interviews, and enrolment period shall be determined by admission committees of respective education institutions and posted on the official website of an education institution. For the purpose of admission to an educational institution in accordance with the established quotas, a foreigner of Ukrainian origin shall personally submit a hard copy application to a subdivision/admission committee.
The following documents shall be enclosed with the application:
Documents referred to in Sub-clauses 1 - 3 of this Clause shall be translated into Ukrainian and notarized.
Documents referred to in Sub-clauses 1 - 2 of this Clause shall be certified in the country of issue thereof in a manner applicable in such country for such purpose and legalized by a relevant institution of Ukraine in foreign country unless otherwise specified in the international treaties of Ukraine.
Foreigners of Ukrainian origin seeking admission pursuant to a foreign education qualification certificate shall have it recognized in accordance with the procedure set forth in the applicable laws of Ukraine.
Admitted foreigners of Ukrainian origin shall be provided with place in a dormitory for a fee and educational grant in accordance with the procedure and in the amount set forth for Ukrainian students.
The students shall pay for the study at a preparatory department of higher education institutions of Ukraine for their own account, no educational grant is provided during that period.
The cost of travel to the place of study and back shall be born by foreign students of Ukrainian origin.