Refugees in Hungary: until the end of the war or beyond?
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As expected, those coming to Hungary from Ukraine appeared in different areas. Many people from different organisations, individuals, or acquaintances started looking for accommodation for them.
They appeared in the market of both tourist accommodation and apartments for rent. Others are looking for work or trying to pursue their university studies. However, the future seems very uncertain for many of the Ukrainian refugees.
A big wave of refugees, many of them Hungarians born in Ukraine
As a result of the war, more than a hundred thousand people have already arrived in Hungary. This number is constantly growing, and the moment when the number of arrivals would start to decrease is not in sight yet. There was constant pressure at the border in the last few days.
Some of the newcomers do not stay in Hungary, the Ukrainians who have relatives in Western Europe usually head towards them. However, due to the relative proximity to Ukraine and the various job opportunities, many plan to stay in Hungary. (Before Covid, the Hungarian government had already started importing Ukrainian labour in various fields.) Some of the refugees from Ukraine are of Hungarian nationality from the Kárpátalja / Zakarpatska / Transcarpathian region, which was part of historic Hungary, and because of that, there is still a Hungarian population there.
From the point of view of administration and job search, it matters a lot if someone also speaks Hungarian. Many of them, even though the Constitution of Ukraine forbids this, also have a Hungarian passport.
Rental market
According to the article of 24.hu, the advertisement of a garden city apartment in Buda is applied for by phone approximately every hour, and the background of the candidates is very similar. The father usually works as a guest worker at a construction or logistics company in the area, lives in a workers’ accommodation, and has so far sent his salary home to his wife and children in Ukraine.
