UK Slammed for Woeful Response to Ukrainian Refugees

The United Kingdom's response to the ongoing refugee crisis in Ukraine has been widely criticized. On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering a horrific humanitarian crisis that analysts think could be the worst since World War II. Since then, Britain has been a vocal supporter of the invaded country.

As a show of solidarity with Ukraine, the UK imposed several sanctions on Russia. It has also donated and pledged hundreds of millions of pounds in aid. Nevertheless, it has been highly criticized for its treatment of migrants escaping the conflict.

In late February, the UK home office launched new temporary visa concessions for Ukraine residents. Before then, the government was widely called-out for not providing substantial support for Ukrainian refugees. The visa which allows Ukrainians to reside in the UK as visitors, seasonal workers, skilled workers, students, HGV drivers, or pork butchers was only available to immediate relatives of British nationals.

This includes a spouse or civil partner, a child under the age of 18, parent; if the Ukrainian resident is under 18, an unmarried partner whose relationship is at least 2 years and living together. Also, the visa allows adult family members providing care for who they live with due to medical reasons.

The visa was later expanded to include other family members - siblings, parents, grandparents, adult children, and their immediate relatives. This came into effect on March 1 after a call by Labor.

According to Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the application procedure for the scheme has been "shockingly low and horribly slow." Some media sources claimed that only about 50 visas were issued from the scheme in the first weekend after it was launched, despite thousands of applications. The government later denied this, saying it had issued up to 300 visas.

There have been complaints from some applicants about the application website crashing, which makes it difficult to complete their appointments. According to reports, 4,000 visas have been issued out of over 17,000 applications as of March 15.

Among other European countries, the UK has welcomed some of the least number of Ukrainian refugees. Many European countries have welcomed more Ukrainian refugees than the United Kingdom, including Austria, France, Belgium, Estonia, and Italy. Unlike the UK, these countries allow visa-free travel to fleeing refugees.

Some UK citizens who wish to bring their Ukrainian relatives also complain of the lengthy visa process, as their family members are stuck in other countries. The UK government has “fallen short of the humanity, common decency and urgent action that ordinary working people in Britain expect” - this was stated in a letter by the TUC general secretary France O’Grady to the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson.

About 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion, according to United Nations data. Within the country, there are about two million internally displaced persons, and it's been described as the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since WWII.

Most of the fleeing refugees are heading to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. There are about 1.7 million Ukrainian refugees in Poland alone, according to the Poland Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau. It is clear from the Russia-Ukraine conflict that the UK's immigration policy is not so welcoming to refugees. This is not the first time Britain would be criticized for its poor treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. In February, following the deaths of some refugees drowned in the English Channel, French President Macron accused Britain of "hypocrisy" in its immigration policy.

An investigation by the Guardian in 2015 found that of the five major European countries, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, the UK's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers was the worst. From the analysis, Britain accepted fewer refugees, provided less financial assistance, supplied accommodation that was sometimes poor, denied asylum seekers the opportunity to work, and drove many into homelessness and poverty owing to bureaucratic delays.

Last year, according to a Guardian study titled Performative Cruelty: UK Treatment of Refugees Worst Ever, the treatment got worse. Its recent body language may indicate the UK administration does not care as much about refugees as other major European nations. The UK hasn't relaxed entry restrictions, which explains why the procedure has been so slow.

There have also been accusations that the UK government is exaggerating its assistance to fleeing migrants. One of such is the speculation that a visa application centre had been set up in Calais for Ukrainians. However, hundreds of the fleeing refugees were reportedly turned away at the Calais border. After pledging a surge team to help Ukrainian migrants in Calais, the administration then declared there was no visa application centre in the city and told them to go elsewhere. However, there is hope that things will improve in the coming days, as the UK government just recently launched a new Homes For Ukraine scheme. This new scheme will allow the British public to welcome as many refugees as they can. Individuals and public organisations are welcome to register interest in the scheme, and so far, more than 100,000 have registered.

Furthermore, Immigration Advice Service (IAS), a UK-based immigration law firm, is offering free legal advice to Ukrainian nationals and residents in the UK or attempting to migrate following the Russian invasion. IAS launched the free advice scheme in response to the Home Office helpdesk giving erroneous and misleading advice to Ukrainians.

According to IAS Immigration Casework Supervisor Natalie Pashley, a group of attorneys at IAS have volunteered to assist clients who have received erroneous, misleading, and often harmful advice from the Home Office's helpline. A statement on the IAS website reads: “We are offering free advice sessions to help you [Ukrainians and their family members] navigate this difficult time.

Olusegun Akinfenwa writes for Total Law Immigration Lawyers, a law firm offering global immigration services and legal representation for refugees and asylum seekers.