-
Boris Johnson: Britons can welcome Ukrainian refugees into their own homes
The BBC reported, Boris Johnson has defended the UK's response to the refugee crisis and said an upcoming scheme will allow Britons to take Ukrainians into their homes.
He told Sky News the UK would be "generous" to those fleeing Ukraine, and that details of a second visa scheme would be announced on Monday.
Defending the current visa rules, the PM said: "People want us to be generous but also careful."
The BBC said, there are two main routes for Ukrainian refugees from the war to get a visa to come to the UK. The first requires them to have family settled in the UK. The second, which is yet to be established, allows Ukrainians to come to the UK if they have a sponsor for their application by an individual or organisation.
Speaking on Sky News' Beth Rigby Interviews programme, Mr Johnson said "historically and by nature" Britain was "very generous, open and welcoming people".
Defending the need for checks of biometric data - such as fingerprints - he said: "People want us to be generous but also careful," adding security measures were "light touch" and "sensible given the attitudes of the Putin regime towards the UK".
He said this would also be the "best thing for refugees, because they want a scheme that is safe, that is welcoming and that works".
UK eases visa route for Ukrainian refugees stuck in France’s English Channel port city of Calais
Challenged on why the checks would be needed for children - which are estimated to make up around half of the two million refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine - he said these requirements did not apply to younger people.
But pressed on just 1,000 family visas being issued so far, Mr Johnson said it would "rise very sharply".
Russia's Lavrov meets with Ukraine's Kuleba in Turkey for first time since the invasion
He added that on Monday, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove would announce details of a second visa scheme, which he said would mean "if people want to welcome [them] into their own homes, they can do so".
Source: BBC
