Refugees: Ukraine

(asked on 23rd February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has put measures in place to receive potential refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 5th April 2022

The Government has taken significant steps to support Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

First, we have introduced a fee-free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme. The route allows both the immediate family members (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family members (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or an EEA or Swiss national in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.

We have also launched the Homes for Ukraine scheme on 18 March. The scheme is fee-free and allows Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK. Ukrainians arriving in the UK under this scheme will be granted leave to remain for three years, and can work, and access benefits and public services, giving them certainty and securing their future in the country.

This bespoke sponsor route will help Ukrainians who have sadly been forced to flee their homes. It will allow sponsors, such as communities, private sponsors or local authorities, to bring people to the UK. They will be able to work and the sponsor would provide housing and integration support.

We are working closely with devolved governments and local authorities to ensure individuals and organisations who want to sponsor an individual or family can volunteer to do so, who will then be matched with Ukrainians in need.

We will keep our support under constant review.

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