Following domestic and international criticism of its “disgraceful” response to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, the United Kingdom (UK) simplified the visa process for Ukrainian refugees by expanding its current Ukraine Family Scheme, which provides visas to immediate and extended family members of Ukrainians who are already in the UK.
🇬🇧🇺🇦 NEW: We're making changes to the Ukraine Family Scheme to make it quicker & simpler.
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) March 10, 2022
This will mean from Tuesday Ukrainians with passports don't need to visit a Visa Application Centre to provide biometrics before coming here.
Security checks will continue on all cases. pic.twitter.com/cpJjgmSwXo
British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the changes on Thursday, which she said sought to achieve a balance between national security and the humanitarian desire to protect Ukrainians. She said that starting Tuesday, Ukrainians with valid passports will not be required to give their biometrics at Visa Application Centres prior to entering the UK. Rather, they will be allowed in following checks on their online application to assess their eligibility for the scheme. Their biometrics will be taken upon their entry into the country. Patel said that this would allow the Visa Application Centres to focus on assisting the more complex applications of Ukrainians who do not have valid passports.
Nevertheless, she highlighted that “threat assessments are always changing.” In this regard, she said that the Home Office would continuously assess the security situation and make necessary changes “to protect [the UK’s] domestic homeland security.”
In fact, Patel has borne the brunt of the criticism, with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin noting that Patel had raised concern that Ireland’s welcoming policy for Ukrainian refugees could be used by Ukrainian criminals and drug dealers as a “back door” to enter mainland UK.
Responding to the latest announcement, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that while the decision to simplify the process is appreciated, the current treatment of the refugees is “a total, total disgrace, bringing shame on to [the UK].” She further questioned why the decision to make such “basic changes” had to be tabled in the Parliament, asserting that the simplification of the visa process took this long despite Patel having the intelligence to “prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine” for months.
Further changes to Family Visa scheme announced after we called Home Secretary to Commons again.
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 10, 2022
Changes will be relief for many, but don’t yet go far enough. Will still be problems at Visa Centres & many ppl still excluded from help. Chaotic Govt response puts us to shame /1 pic.twitter.com/U5bQNFx04v
The UK’s recent announcement came following widespread outcries from Members of Parliament from both the opposition and the ruling party, along with other European countries, who criticised London’s response to Ukrainian refugees. Addressing the Parliament on Wednesday, Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford said that “nobody should support” the government’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, which he described as “disgraceful,” particularly when compared to the response of other countries in Europe. Even within Patel’s Conservative party, MP Alec Shelbrooke said that the response was a “disgrace.”
France, too, has criticised the UK for its handling of the Ukrainian refugee visa applications, with French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin calling the British response “totally inadequate” and saying that it highlights Britain’s “lack of humanity.” Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, also pointed out the “bureaucratic hassles” faced by his country’s refugees in the country, saying, “We do understand that security checks must be thorough, especially at a time of military conflict, but we also believe that some bureaucratic procedures could be lessened, simplified.”
While Patel’s announcement is a welcome change, the UK continues to insist on visas to allow Ukrainians to enter its territory, unlike its other European counterparts. Moreover, even following Thursday’s decision, refugees seeking to enter the UK will still be required to show documentation, such as birth certificates or marriage certificates, to prove their links to Ukrainians already residing in Britain.
In light of these bureaucratic obstacles, the UK is far behind other European countries in welcoming Ukrainian refugees. While the UK has provided a meagre 950 visas, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have each welcomed over 100,000 Ukrainians. In fact, the European Union (EU) has offered “immediate protection” to Ukrainians and foreign nationals residing in the war-torn country, with Poland having accepted over 1.2 million Ukrainians and even offering a $66 payment for each refugee.