"When all this horror began, stories about the rape of children, and I have a girl and a small one, I had to save children, this is my duty." 

A month after the start of the Great War, Anna from Kryvyi Rih decided to leave Ukraine with her children.

Lyudmila from Kharkiv took a few days to make such a decision: "There was a lot of bombing, it was loud and scary, we were sitting in the basement with my 5-year-old son.

Somewhere on the 10th day, I realized that I can't do this anymore, that my son sleeps dressed, lives underground - it's not normal!

and I dared to go." 

Lyudmila, who had never been abroad until 2022, traveled half of Europe since March.

She changed seven cities, tried to find shelter in Spain, but eventually ended up in Iceland.

After a difficult journey, Anna and her children stayed in Germany. 

"When we came here, we were accused of being too well-dressed, in everything brand-name.

And I said that I was not running away from poverty, but from the war." 

First of all, you should understand whether you want to be a refugee. 

"A refugee is forever.

And it limits.

A refugee does not allow, for example, to return to the country from which you left, emphasizes Andriy Prykhodko, a lawyer and expert in international migration law.

- If you choose refugee status, you do not have the right to choose the country, but you have the right of first crossing.

That is, if, for example, you got from Ukraine to Poland, transited through it, arrived in Germany and want to apply for asylum, the law will not allow you.

If you cross the border in Poland, you must receive asylum there."  

That is why the majority of Ukrainians in Europe apply for so-called temporary shelter. 

"Asylum is a new simplified procedure for Ukrainians, temporary asylum is obtained quickly, depending on national legislation," explains Andriy Prykhodko.

- The EU has given each country the right to regulate it independently, but in general, this procedure is short-lived." 

Just like refugee status, temporary asylum gives the right to stay on the territory of another country until the end of the war.

But, at the same time, it does not set a strict framework for stay.

"Everything is done quickly, takes an hour or two," Lyudmila says about her experience in Spain.

- Temporary protection gives you the right to work and live here for a year and a half or until the end of the war.

You get a TIA in a month - it's like a passport." 

Temporary shelter allows Ukrainians to have almost the same rights as residents of the country that sheltered them - including the right to work, children's education, social and medical security.

"The German government has done a lot for us, because we have all the benefits that the locals have, even insurance," Anna says.

This status also provides an opportunity to receive social benefits. 

"Each country has its own procedure.

In general, you have to submit a statement that you need social benefits, and they are different in each country," says Andriy Prykhodko.

"In order to receive social benefits in Germany, we first had to apply for paragraph 24 (procedure for obtaining temporary protection - author's note), register at the job center, and only then were we charged a certain amount," Anna shares her experience.

- For an adult, it is 449 euros, for a child under 17 years old - 340 with kopecks, for a younger person I receive about 320 euros per month."

Each country determines the amount of social assistance.

In the Czech Republic, it is about 200 euros per adult, but you can receive it no more than six times. 

Latvia allocates a one-time allowance per adult: 270 euros per adult and 190 euros per child.

As well as monthly payments - 109 euros per adult and 76 per child. 

In Estonia, you can get 150 euros for the first family member and 120 euros for each subsequent family member.

180 euros are allocated for minor children. 

Some of the lowest payments in Slovakia: 80 euros per adult and 60 per child.

However, you can get about 160 euros for a child up to 3 years old. 

In Ireland, assistance is given once a week - 260 euros for an adult who is older than 25 years, and 140 euros for a child.

If such a person has others under his care, you can additionally receive 138 euros per adult, 40 euros per child under 12 years old, 48 euros per child older than 12 years old.

People aged 18-25 can claim 118 euros of assistance. 

In France, payments depend on the composition of the family.

A single person receives approximately 240 euros per month, if there are two people in a family, then together they receive 306 euros.

And a family of three people will receive assistance in the amount of 408 euros per month. 

However, not everyone can receive help from the state that granted asylum.

Only those who are recognized by social services as low-income.

"One of our clients, who had a premium bank card with a credit limit of half a million hryvnias, was refused because they saw the status of the card and the fact that he can use these credit funds.

And so it was noted: the person did not prove the need for social support, the lawyer notes.

"If they see that a person is well-off, has an expensive car, expensive clothes, jewelry, they can also refuse social security."  

In addition to state support programs, programs of many humanitarian funds operate in the EU countries.

However, before joining them, you should familiarize yourself with all the terms and conditions.

Once in Spain, Lyudmila gladly accepted help from the Red Cross: "The Red Cross has a three-stage program.

The zero stage is when you just live, try to get used to it, they provide housing, food, hygiene products, but you don't get any money.

Then the first stage, when you have to learn the language, then I received 50 euros for food and expenses, but they don't help you anymore, you look for a job yourself."

Later, it turned out that according to the rules of the program, the organization can independently change the place of residence of Ukrainians.

Having changed six cities in six months, Lyudmila and her son went to Iceland.

And in the end they decided to stay there. 

"180,000 crowns is approximately 1,300 euros, they pay once every three months for a child.

It seems like a lot, but considering local prices, it's not that much anymore, it's somewhere around the living wage.

I have 15,000 crowns, which is about 80 euros.

It's enough for me and Misha for a week."  

Anna confirms that life in Europe is stable, but expensive: "In Germany, I pay for electricity and the Internet from my social security payments, I still go to the football club, we also buy travel tickets, which is 27.50 euros per month for each family member - so, for travel costs us 100 euros per month.

And about 300-350 euros are spent on groceries per week." 

Another cost item is housing.

In each country, housing systems operate in their own way.  

"The directive obliges all countries to provide housing for all refugees, but this right is implemented in different ways," lawyer Andriy Prykhodko explains in detail.

- For example, there are social facilities in Poland where Ukrainians can live for free." 

"The terms of renting an apartment for my family are the provision of a deposit, a deposit for an apartment in the amount of 1,200 euros for three people," Anna shares her experience of obtaining housing in Germany.

- And the job center must also give permission that they will pay a deposit for me as a loan.

And I will give them this bail within a year." 

State programs in many countries compensate for housing rent in full or in part, but you have to find an apartment on your own.

The most expensive apartment will be in Geneva, London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin and Amsterdam - one-room apartments there are rented at a price of 1,500 euros per month. 

The cheapest rent in the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey and Poland is from 300 euros per month on average. 

"Reykjavik itself is small, there is not much housing here, the prices are very high, for us the best option is to cooperate with 2-3 families and rent a three-room apartment for everyone," Lyudmila says about her experience. 

That is why the first thing most Ukrainians do when they find themselves in a foreign country is to look for a job.

This is a habit that has shocked Europeans since the beginning of the war. 

"Ukrainians working in Poland actually paid taxes on the amount that Poland transferred to Ukraine as financial aid for the state," says Andriy Prykhodko.  

"They see us as a workforce," says Anna.

- They are glad that we came, and there were many offers to work as a maid or take care of the sick.

It was a bit unexpected and even uncomfortable." 

"The average monthly salary in Poland, if I'm not mistaken, is about 800 euros.

That is, if a person goes to work for the simplest job, he will be able to earn about 800 euros per month," suggests Andriy Prykhodko.

Ukrainians abroad should remember: hoping only for social assistance is the wrong way.

"You will be registered and you will be offered a job," says the lawyer.

"If you refuse this job, at a certain stage, your social benefits will be suspended."  

To go or to stay is a personal choice of everyone.

But if you decide to go, experts advise the following: 

- get acquainted with the legislation of the chosen country; 

- talk to people who have already gone through this path;

- turn to the diaspora - Ukrainians abroad are happy to help each other.