By Evie Breese - 12 August 2024
On 19 February this year, without warning, the government announced fundamental changes to the Ukraine visa schemes, the true impact of which can now be demonstrated.
The Ukraine Family Scheme (UFS) was closed with immediate effect, and the eligibility to sponsor someone from Ukraine under the Homes For Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (HFUSS) was severely restricted to only British or Irish citizens or persons settled in the UK, preventing Ukrainians with status under the schemes from sponsoring their own family. Leave granted under the scheme was also halved, from 36 months to 18 months.
Alongside the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), we conducted primary research with more than 200 Ukrainians affected by the visa changes. We found the need for sanctuary remains urgent and widespread.
Our research evidences the suffering experienced by hundreds of families, which happened as a result of the government’s decision to ignore the expertise of legal and other professionals and implement the visa changes without sufficient consultation and or pre-warning. [Download the full report here]
Key findings
Contrary to the last government’s assertion that “Ukraine is no longer in an active migration crisis”, as many as 87% of survey respondents (191 individuals), needed sanctuary for themselves, or a vulnerable family member.
The majority of respondents struggled to find an eligible British sponsor for their loved one. Four in five (80%) of survey respondents said it was difficult, or very difficult to find a sponsor under the stricter eligibility criteria.
The lack of safe routes to the UK is splitting families apart and causing Ukrainians real harm. Among those who were based in the UK, 93% highlighted that family reunification affected their mental health, and 42% believed it affected their ability to integrate into society. Another 31% said it had affected their finances, and 28% described an effect on their work performance.
Our recommendations
We are calling for a reversal of the rule changes of the outgoing prior Government, and restoration of the commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes by providing safety and support to those in need of it.
Days before being elected into power, Labour committed to an urgent review of the Ukraine visa schemes once in power.
“Labour must make good on that promise to prevent further loss of life, and undo the damage inflicted by the Conservative government” said CEO and co-author of the report Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol.
“It is cruelly absurd that a parent cannot sponsor their own child. I ask Keir Starmer whether his government is one that prioritises bringing down immigration numbers at any cost, or reuniting families in crisis?”
We urge the Government to:
[Download the full report here]
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