What does it mean to build a life when your status is temporary?
To answer this question, one can look at the situation of Ukrainian refugees living in Portugal. What emerges from their experiences is that daily routines are shaped by uncertainty. Permits that need renewing, rules that evolve, and futures that remain difficult to plan are just a few of the challenges that Ukrainians in Portugal face. Additionally, limited access to clear and reliable information leaves many to navigate complex administrative systems on their own, increasing exposure to misinformation and distrust in institutions.
These challenges are not only administrative. They have tangible psychological and social consequences. Feelings of insecurity, lack of control, and exclusion from decision-making processes can undermine well-being and make it harder to build a sense of belonging and stability. This raises a broader question: is this way of offering protection effective when considering the full range of people’s needs and aspirations? Beyond material support, it is equally important to recognise the emotional dimension of policies and bring it back to the centre of discussions.
Taking this perspective makes clear that a shift is needed—from treating temporary protection purely as a legal or emergency instrument to recognising it as a lived experience with emotional, social, and psychological dimensions. More stable residence solutions, accessible and trustworthy communication, inclusive participation mechanisms, and adequate psychological support all contribute to a more human-centred approach.
These reflections are explored in a recent thematic brief published by the PROTEMO project on the emotional dimension of temporary protection in Portugal. The brief builds on discussions from a multi-stakeholder workshop held in Coimbra in November 2025, bringing together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and members of the Ukrainian community to reflect on how policies are experienced in practice—and how they can better respond to people’s needs.