The Government dramatically reversed course and will let Ukrainians once again bring children into the UK after its widely-criticised visa rules, imposed last February, unexpectedly cut off eligibility under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Under the prior system, the rule barred those Ukrainians not holding permanent residency from sponsoring family members seeking to flee the continuing conflict.
Charities have welcomed the announcement, which comes after heart-wrenching cases of families torn apart by the restrictions. Parents, desperate to be reunited with their children, were increasingly using illegal means of bringing them to safety. It offers hope to people separated from children but does nothing to support families who have been separated from brothers and sisters, parents, or adult sons and daughters.
Since the Homes for Ukraine scheme launched in March 2022, more than 190,000 people have arrived in the UK, fleeing the Russian invasion. But under previous changes brought in by the Conservatives, only British or Irish citizens, or those with permanent residency, could sponsor refugees – meaning many Ukrainians were unable to help their loved ones.
Now the government says it will allow “any parent, or legal guardian, resident in the UK under the schemes, to apply to sponsor their child via the Homes for Ukraine scheme”. Valentyna, for example, applied under the old rules for her 12-year-old son to join her last August but suffered delays. She had arrived in the UK for seasonal work before the invasion, then extended her visa but was unable to be reunited with her son, who was staying in Odessa with relatives.
Valentyna, visibly emotional about the separation, declared that this was now a clear hope opening the way to reunion. Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, emphasized the relieving nature this policy provides for parents without failing to refer to the gaps left open-namely, families torn apart because siblings and relatives were not immediately included.
Countless families have had to make impossible choices between the safety of the UK or the need to care for vulnerable relatives left behind. Charity Settled said some had to resort to illegal routes to bring children to safety.
Yuliia Ismail, an immigration adviser at Settled, said that the Home Office should speed up outstanding decisions on the applications for children still trapped in war zones; some have been left in limbo for almost a year. A Home Office spokesperson said: “Changes enacted by the prior government meant that parents could no longer sponsor children, but urgent actions have been taken to make sure that, under the current policy, parents here on a Ukraine Scheme visa can now sponsor their children.
