LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The United Kingdom is poised to announce modifications to its Ukrainian refugee scheme, including the ability for people on temporary visas to bring family members across.
The administration has rejected efforts to abolish all refugee visa restrictions, citing security concerns.
Labour will question the government about why the visa application process for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict has taken so long.
Refugees should not suffer bureaucratic barriers, according to Ukraine’s UK ambassador.
Security inspections are necessary, according to Vadym Prystaiko, but most refugees do not pose a threat.
Many “fleeing under bombardment” did not have access to the proper documentation, he said, so paperwork difficulties could be dealt with later.
Labour has demanded that the government remove “standard visa criteria” for Ukrainian refugees in order for the UK to receive its “fair share.”
For up to three years, the European Union has waived visas for all Ukrainian refugees, with Poland alone taking in roughly 1.3 million people.
Since the Russian invasion into Ukraine, over two million people have fled the country, and the Home Office has been under pressure to expedite visa processing, with only 957 visas given so far.
The UK has taken “immediate steps” to process visas while “carrying out crucial security checks,” according to a spokesperson.
The Home Office has been working on visa arrangements overnight, according to Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, and Home Secretary Priti Patel must weigh the risks before making decisions as to how bureaucracy of security checks for refugees can be reduced.
He told BBC Breakfast that such checks must be made as part of visa policy, in a way that still provides her the security she needs that, at a time of intense competition in Europe between the West and Russia, UK was not dropping its guard entirely.
Mr Heappey said the Ministry of Defence had offered to help the Home Office with the visa process, but that the nations where the application centres would be put up would have to agree to British troops being dispatched to assist.
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, will ask a Home Office minister to respond to an urgent question in Parliament about the continuing difficulties that Ukrainians escaping to the UK face.
This week, the government plans to release details of a sponsorship method through which organisations or individuals can fund refugees to come to the UK.
