Priti Patel's latest statement to Commons with important update on Ukraine-related immigration changes
[Update, 04 March 2022: The Ukraine Family Scheme opened today. See the Home Office page here for information about how to apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa.]
Home Secretary Priti Patel today made a statement to Parliament with an important update on the UK's immigration changes and visa concessions for Ukrainians in response to the Russian military invasion of the country.
Image credit: WikipediaThe statement contains significant new information and clarifies the confusion in the earlier announcements by the Home Office and Home Secretary regarding the support available for family members of British nationals and of Ukrainians settled in the UK (see our articles from yesterday here and here).
Extended family members in Ukraine will now be eligible under the new Ukrainian Family Scheme, which includes all parents, all children, grandparents, and siblings.
The Home Secretary explained: "British nationals and people settled in the UK can bring a wider group of family members to the UK, extending eligibility to parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings, and their immediate family members. Again, this scheme will be free. Those joining family in the UK will be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months. They will be able to work and access public funds."
The Home Office confirmed in a press release that extended family members in Ukraine will be able to bring their immediate family with them to the UK. This means, for example, that a brother or sister of a Ukrainian person settled in the UK will be able to come to the UK with their spouse and their children aged under 18.
Extended family members will not need to comply with the normal visa eligibility criteria such as salary or English language in order to come to the UK, but they will need to undergo security checks. The Home Office will process applications as quickly as possible.
[Update, 04 March 2022: The Ukraine Family Scheme opened today. See the Home Office page here for information about how to apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa.]
A new humanitarian visa scheme was also announced today that will allow UK individuals, charities, businesses and community groups to sponsor Ukrainians with no family members in the UK. This scheme is not yet open and the Home Office said further details of the scheme are currently being prepared and will be communicated in due course, including how people and organisations in the UK can apply to be sponsors.
The Refugee Council welcomed today's announcement as an important start, but warned: "[W]e are concerned that in reality it does not go far enough, and could mean that far fewer Ukrainians are actually able to reach safety in the UK than the Government claims. Sponsorship is a slow process and in recent years has only resulted in hundreds of refugees coming to the UK."
The full text of the Home Secretary's statement to the Commons today follows below:
"Mr Speaker, yesterday I announced the first phase of a bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine, having listened carefully to the asks and the requests of the Ukrainian Government. We have already made significant and unprecedented changes to the immigration system. We have helped hundreds of British nationals and their family members resident in Ukraine to leave the country, with Home Office staff working around the clock to assist them.
"The Rt Hon Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford raised a specific case yesterday and I am pleased to confirm that the person concerned has been able to travel to the UK.
"Family members of British nationals resident in Ukraine who need a UK visa can apply through the temporary location in Lviv, or through Visa Application Centres in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Hungary. We have created additional capacity in all locations at pace, in anticipation of the invasion of Ukraine. This includes a pop-up Visa Application Centre in Rzeszow in Poland, which has provided total capacity currently of well over 3,000 appointments per week.
"Our contingency plans have been enacted now and they are expected further to increase total capacity to 6,000 appointments a week, starting this week. By contrast, demand across these locations is usually approximately 890 biometric appointments per week. There remains availability for appointments and walk-ins across every location. Should more capacity be required, we will of course deliver it.
"Mr Speaker, I should also add at this stage, we have our rapid deployment teams already in the region and in fact, the FCDO sent them in a few weeks ago to support this whole effort. I have also removed the usual language requirements and salary thresholds to come to the UK to be with their family members. And where family members of British nationals do not meet the usual eligibility criteria - but do pass all security checks - we will give them permission to enter the UK outside the usual rules for 12 months.
"This means that British nationals and any person settled in the UK can bring over immediate Ukrainian family members. Through this policy alone, an additional 100,000 Ukrainians could be eligible to come to the UK and access work and public services. There is no limit on the numbers eligible under this route, Mr Speaker. Anyone in Ukraine intending to apply under the Family Migration route should contact the dedicated 24-hour Home Office line for assistance before applying.
"Ukrainian nationals already in the UK have been given the option to switch – free of charge – to a points-based immigration route or a family visa route. Visas for Ukrainian temporary workers in some sectors are being extended, so they can stay until at least the 31st of December this year.
"As I said yesterday, I have heard some members calling for visa waivers. Russian troops are seeking to infiltrate and merge with Ukrainian forces. Extremists are on the ground and in the region, too. Given this, and also with Putin's willingness to do violence on British soil, and in keeping with our approach, which we retained consistently throughout all emergency evacuations, including that of Afghanistan, we cannot suspend any security or biometric checks on people we welcome to our country. We have a collective duty to keep the British people safe and this approach is based on the strongest security advice.
"Mr Speaker, these measures have been designed to enable swift implementation, and that is the point, without the need for legislation or changes to immigration rules. The Ukrainian people need help immediately and we are bringing this in place now.
"As outlined by the Prime Minister earlier today, I can also set out phase two of our bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine.
"Firstly, we are establishing an expansive Ukrainian Family Scheme so that British nationals and people settled in the UK can bring a wider group of family members to the UK, extending eligibility to parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings, and their immediate family members. Again, this scheme will be free. Those joining family in the UK will be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months. They will be able to work and access public funds.
"Secondly, we will establish a humanitarian sponsorship pathway, which will open up a route to the UK for Ukrainians who may not have family ties with the UK but who are able to match with individuals, charities, businesses, and community groups. Those who come under this scheme will also be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months and they will be able to work and access public services.
"The Home Office will work closely with all our international partners on the ground to ensure that displaced Ukrainians in need of a home are supported.
"My colleague, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, will work with the devolved administrations to ensure that those who want to sponsor an individual or a family can volunteer and be matched quickly with Ukrainians in need.
"There will be no numerical limit on this scheme, and we will welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come and have matched sponsors. Making a success of the new humanitarian sponsorship pathway will require a national effort from the entire country. And, Mr Speaker, our country will rise to that challenge.
"Mr Speaker, this is a very generous and it is an expansive and unprecedented package. It will mean that the British public and the Ukrainian diaspora can support displaced Ukrainians in the UK until they are able to return to a free and a sovereign Ukraine.
"We are striking a blow for democracy and freedom against tyranny. Above all, we are doing right by the courageous people of Ukraine. We will help British nationals and their families to get out of Ukraine safely. We will support our displaced Ukrainian friends. We will respond robustly to Russian threats here in the UK. We, Mr Speaker, will not back down. We will do what is right. I commend this statement to the House."
In response to the statement, Labour's shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "We have been calling repeatedly on the Government to do more to help, and there will be considerable relief that they have now changed their position and accepted that we must do more. In particular, I am glad that the Government appear to have completely changed their policy in response to our calls to help elderly parents and wider family members. I am glad that they have listened not just to those in this House but to people across the country and, most importantly, to Ukrainians and their families. I have many questions about how this will actually work and how many people in practice it will help. I am concerned about the way in which the Home Office has handled this, but that is an issue for another day."