By PTI
LONDON: The UK government on Tuesday announced an extension of its visa offer for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict zone amid Russian attacks, expanding the scheme it launched earlier for close relatives of Ukrainian people settled in the UK to come over.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the scheme will be widened further to include adult parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings which would mean that the UK could take in over 200,000 Ukrainian refugees.
UK firms will also be able to sponsor a Ukrainian entering the country.
“We are extending the family scheme so that very considerable numbers would be eligible. You could be talking about a couple of hundred thousand, maybe more,” Johnson said during a visit to Poland.
“Additionally, we are going to have a humanitarian scheme and then a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK,” he said.
Outlining the UK immigration policy towards the war-torn region, Home Secretary Priti Patel told Parliament on Monday that changes to visa rules would allow “any person settled in the UK” to bring over their immediate Ukrainian family members, including spouses, civil partners, long-term unmarried partners and children.
This was expected to help around 100,000 people, a figure which has now been doubled with an extension of the scheme.
Patel on Tuesday said the UK would waive visas for people fleeing Ukraine, announcing a “humanitarian sponsorship pathway” for Ukrainians without ties to the UK to come to the UK by working for individuals, businesses, charities and community groups in the UK.
It follows moves by the European Union (EU) to let in Ukrainian refugees for up to three years without first having to seek asylum.
Prime Minister Johnson also announced that the UK would provide 220 million pounds in emergency and humanitarian aid for Ukraine during his tour of neighbouring regions of Poland and Estonia, where he declared that he was “increasingly confident” Russia’s invasion would fail.
“I think that everybody involved in the Russian onslaught should understand that all this will be collated in evidence to be used at a future time in what could be proceedings before the International Criminal Court,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles spoke out to condemn the brutal attacks on Ukraine as an “attack on democracy”.
The heir to the British throne was attending an event at the coastal city of Southend-on-Sea as they paid tribute to former MP, Sir David Amess, who was killed by an attacker at his constituency surgery.
“We are seeing those same values under attack today in Ukraine in the most unconscionable way. In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression,” the royal said.
It is not customary for the royal family to make strong comments on political issues but since the conflict in Ukraine, his son Prince William has also issued a message of support for the Ukrainian people.
