British MPs have asked the government to make it more convenient for UK people to bring family members who are fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to come with them to the UK.
The Home Office currently only grants visas to Ukraine to close family members of British citizens who normally live in the country. The temporary consulate in Lviv, western Ukraine, is the only one that issues these.
Other Ukrainians, including family members of tens of thousands of Ukrainians residing in the UK, must apply through a British consulate in a neighboring country such as Poland, Hungary, Romania or Moldova. .
Without a valid visa, Ukrainians will be barred from boarding flights, trains or ferries to the UK.
Yvette Cooper, secretary of the Home Office, said the Home Office should ensure Ukrainians with families in the UK can “quickly” join them “as a priority”. The ministry should send staff to neighboring countries and reception centers and “remove bureaucracy and procrastination,” she added.
Meg Hillier, Labor MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, which has a significant Ukrainian population, said the government needs to “step up” and ensure that Ukrainians can claim visas without going to the consulate, added that everything doesn’t need to be done at a face-to-face meeting.
“There are other ways to do the test,” she said.
Stuart McDonald, a Scottish National MP and member of the Commons home affairs selection committee, said Ireland had lifted the requirement that Ukrainian nationals have a visa before entering the country, while Ukrainians do not require a visa to enter the Schengen countries of Europe’s free-campus.
“The UK government has to explain why it can’t follow the example of the EU countries,” McDonald said. “If everyone has a family member [in Ukraine] Why make them jump through any hoops? “
Stella Creasy, Labor MP for Walthamstow, said the current situation felt “like Afghanistan again”, referring to last August when many MPs were flooded with requests for help. rescue a loved one when the Taliban came to power.
One of the members of Creasy, Fozan Dar, a UK citizen, ended up stuck in Ukraine because the visa for his Ukrainian wife to travel with him to the UK was not granted until when commercial flights from Ukraine stopped. The couple remained in the country and were not helped to leave.
“There’s no point in saying we stand with the Ukrainian people if we don’t stand with our own Ukrainians and help them get to safety,” Creasy said.
Another Labor MP, Yasmin Qureshi, who represents Bolton South East, home to a long-standing Ukrainian community, posed a question to Home Secretary Priti Patel, asking her to consider easing restrictions. travel to the UK for Ukrainians.
“A lot of them have family and friends here,” she said of those looking to leave Ukraine. “If they can get out, something needs to be done to help people get here.”
Patel on Thursday said her department had “matched” Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion and announced that she would waive visa fees for Ukrainian nationals looking to join their family in the Kingdom. He follows the family reunion rules.
The department has announced five special concessions for Ukrainians in the UK, including the right to extend seasonal work visas – usually limited to six months – until December this year.
The UK government has said its priority is to support British nationals residing in Ukraine and their dependents who wish to leave the country.
“We are working around the clock to process visa applications and are processing many applications in a matter of hours,” it said.
It said it has sent additional staff to visa processing centers in neighboring countries, including Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary.
“We are working with other European countries to ensure that responses to any migration issues are practical and in the best interest of the Ukrainian people,” the government said.
* This story has been revised since original publication to clarify that only dependents of UK citizens residing in Ukraine can apply for a visa at the Lviv consulate. Ukrainians can apply for visas in neighboring countries
