Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to put in place extra levels of protection for LBGTQI+ individuals fleeing Ukraine to the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
All vulnerable minorities from Ukraine such as religious, ethnic minorities those with disabilities or members of the LGBTQ+ community are afforded the same high level of protection in the UK.
We have already launched two bespoke routes for the people leaving Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion, which respond directly to the needs and asks of the Ukrainian government.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to put in place extra levels of protection for people holding refugee status or subsidiary status in Ukraine fleeing that country to the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, we do not allow asylum claims from abroad, nor facilitate individuals to travel to the UK for the purposes of claiming asylum. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, as this is the fastest route to safety.
Where an asylum claim is properly made in the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, it will be given full and careful consideration, and we will grant protection where this is appropriate. We will not remove anyone to their country of origin or any other country where they would face persecution or serious harm. Due to the recent events, we have removed our country policy and information notes for Ukraine from gov.uk as they no longer reflect the current country situation.
We have, therefore, temporarily paused asylum decision making to ensure our decision makers are only considering claimants’ protection needs in the light of relevant and up-to-date country information. We are reviewing the country situation and will issue updated country policy and information notes shortly reflecting revised assessments of risk of persecution.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to put in place extra levels of protection for unaccompanied children fleeing Ukraine to the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We recognise the deeply troubling circumstances faced by all Ukrainians who are caught up in this conflict, including unaccompanied minors, and the role many countries will need to play to safeguard those children.
Safeguarding and protection of these vulnerable children is paramount. We have therefore held a number of discussions with leading international organisations who are working to ensure appropriate systems are put in place to process and safeguard unaccompanied minors who are fleeing Ukraine.
The Ukraine Family Scheme provides an immediate pathway for those Ukrainians, including unaccompanied minors, with family already settled in the UK to come to our country. The relevant safeguarding checks will be performed as part of the application process. It is designed to allow as many people as possible to come to Britain and gives them immediate access to the support they need.
The routes and visa changes which we have announced so far follow extensive engagement with the Ukrainian Government to ensure they respond directly to their needs and asks. We will continue to work closely with them going forward.
We are committed to working with local government to ensure appropriate arrangements are in place, particularly for any unaccompanied minors who may arrive and for whom there is no option of being reunited with extended family. The UK already has well established policies in this area for unaccompanied children.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will provide information and guidance on applying for the Family Migration Visa and Ukrainian Family Scheme in Ukrainian on the gov.uk website.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The latest information can be found here: Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will enable Ukrainian refugee UK visa applicants to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to self-enrol biometric information from their biometric passports where available.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with valid passports have not needed to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
Instead, once their application has been considered and the appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK
The full statement can be found here: Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timetable is for the Calais Visa Application Centre for Ukrainian refugees to be open and fully operational.
Answered by Kevin Foster
To support people in Northern France who are eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Home Office has set up a new temporary Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Arras, replacing the interim site in Lille. The Arras VAC is now open. It will only be used for referrals from Border Force of Ukrainians arriving in Calais without visas.
From Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with valid passports who are eligible for this route can do their application online and will not need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) Russian and (b) Belarussian nationals can secure visas for the UK from abroad after fleeing the country in which they were living due to persecution for speaking out against the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Applications for a visitor, short-term student, or Temporary Worker (Creative or Sporting Worker) visa may be made at any Visa Application Centre (VAC), which has been designated by the Secretary of State to accept such applications.
Most other types of visa applications should be made at a VAC in the country or territory where the applicant is living. However, managers within UKVI may allow applications to be made in other locations on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts to put in place extra levels of protection for minority groups fleeing Ukraine.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary is continuing to speak to her international counterparts to ensure we are taking appropriate action to support the Ukrainian Government and people.
We have announced new measures to simplify and speed up the process for people applying to the Ukraine Family Scheme. From Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with valid passports who are eligible for this route can do their application online and will not need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
For non-passport holders we have expanded our Visa Application Capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here. This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need.
The Government has also commenced the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK. We will keep our support under constant review.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prioritise the return of passports to people who had previously made an application at the former visa application centre in Kyiv.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Visa Application Centre in Kyiv temporarily closed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we are currently unable to return a customer their passport. The Home Office will be in contact with customers to discuss how and when their passport can be returned, but the presence of the Russian Military near Kyiv will inevitably affect our ability to do so.
If a customer does not have their passport, UKVI staff are working with customers and Border Force to facilitate their entry to the UK where we are unable to attach a vignette in their passport.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will limit practical barriers to Ukrainian refugees applying for a visa overseas by waiving the requirement to provide biometric data at a visa application centre.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary updated Parliament on 10 March about the government's support for people fleeing Ukraine, including the need to visit a visa application centre to provide biometric data:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-update-on-support-for-ukrainians