Recently, the UK relaxed its visa rules to encourage Ukrainian Nationals to come to the country through its Humanitarian Support Package. Home Secretary Priti Patel stated to Parliament in the past week that confirmed the government’s creation of an unprecedented Humanitarian Support Package for Ukrainians.
Let’s take a look at it in detail!
UK’s Humanitarian Support Package for Ukrainians
Currently, the package ensures that all Ukrainian family members of British nationals who need a UK visa can apply via a temporary location in Lviv or through Visa Applications Centres in Moldova, Hungary, Romania, and Poland.
Patel has also elaborated that the government had previously increased the capacity in all locations to prepare for Ukraine’s invasion. They had set up a pop-up Visa Application Centre in Poland, which used to offer a total capacity of more than 3,000 appointments each week, but it is expected to double in the present times.
Moreover, Patel confirmed the removal of the English language requirement and salary threshold for Ukrainians, enabling them to come to the UK to be with their families. Thanks to the UK’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Support Package, British nationals and people settled in the country will be able to bring their immediate Ukraine national family members to the country. It will enable around 100,000 more Ukrainians to become eligible to enter the UK and access its work and public services.
The UK Relaxed Its Visa Rules
The government is advising people in Ukraine intending to apply under the Family Migration route to contact the Home Office’s 24-hour line for assistance before proceeding with their visa application. Ukrainian nationals who are already in the country will be allowed to switch to a points-based immigration route or a family visa route free of cost.
The UK has also extended visas for Ukrainian temporary workers, enabling them to stay in the country until the end of this year. Moreover, Patel has declared that the government will amend its visa penalty measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill to ensure that it slows down or stops processing Russian visas or the visa of any state that poses a threat to the UK’s security or its allies throughout the world.
Phase Two of the Humanitarian Support Package
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also confirmed phase two of the Humanitarian Support Package for Ukrainians, which has opened up the space for a couple of hundred thousand Ukrainians or more to be eligible to apply. This phase included the introduction of the Ukrainian Family Scheme by Priti Patel.
The family scheme essentially enables British nationals and individuals settled in the UK to bring their extended family, such as parents, grandparents, adult children, siblings, etc., to the UK. The UK will grant a leave of the initial 12 months to the joining families. They will have the opportunity to access work and public services in the UK.
Phase two will also include a Humanitarian Sponsorship Pathway, a route Ukrainians who have no family in the UK can take to enter the country. These individuals can match with charities, individuals, businesses, and community groups willing to sponsor and support them. People eligible under this scheme will also be granted a 12-month leave, with the freedom to work and access public services in the country.
