To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of safe and legal routes to the UK from Ukraine for children and families who have been displaced.
Answered on
14 April 2022
The Government has created two routes for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian attack on their country.
The Home Office’s Ukraine Family Scheme announced on 4 March, and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme announced by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities on 14 March. It is the first scheme of its kind to be operationalised anywhere in the world.
The Ukraine Family Scheme is fee-free and allows British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring family members to the UK, covering immediate family members plus parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Individuals will be granted leave for three years and will be able to work and access public services and benefits.
DLUHC’s Homes for Ukraine scheme will ultimately allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety, including those with no family ties to the UK. There will be no limit on the number of arrivals, and those who come to the UK on the scheme will have permission to live and work here for up to three years. They will also have access to public services and benefits. The Scheme launched on 18 March 2022.