Ukrainians will now have the right to multiple citizenships in a bid to strengthen ties to the diaspora after a new law was approved on Wednesday.

Parliament’s approval paves the way for Ukrainian refugees to retain their nationality and eventually return home while encouraging those of Ukrainian descent to apply for citizenship.

The decision comes as the country grapples with a demographic crisis triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Millions of citizens have left the country, and birth rates have hit historical lows.

“This decision is an important step to maintaining and restoring ties with millions of Ukrainians around the world,” Oleksiy Chernyshov, minister for national unity, wrote on Facebook. 

The bill was introduced to the parliament by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last August.

The government now needs to draft a list of countries whose citizens will be eligible for dual Ukrainian citizenship. The law also simplifies procedures for children born to Ukrainian parents abroad and Ukrainians who obtain an additional citizenship through marriage.

As for foreigners who want Ukrainian citizenship, they will have to pass a test proving knowledge of the Ukrainian language, history and constitution.

The law will also make it easier for foreign volunteers fighting for the country to become Ukrainian citizens.

Citizens of “aggressor states” and countries that do not recognize Ukraine’s territorial integrity will not be eligible.

Former European commissioner Ylva Johansson was recently appointed as the EU’s new special envoy for Ukrainians in the bloc, and will oversee the long-term strategy of integrating Ukrainian refugees into the EU or facilitating their return home.