UK relaxes visa rules for Ukrainian refugees
March 2, 2022, 9:22 am

UK relaxes visa rules for Ukrainian refugees

President Volodymyr Zelensky-PM Boris Johnson/Facebook page

The Gulf News reported, citing Reuters, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying refugee numbers could reach millions, with possibly more than 200,000 coming to Britain to join family members.

Less than a week after Moscow launched a full-scale war on Ukraine, western leaders are looking at ways to help the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have left their homeland.

Poland has estimated that about 350,000 people have crossed its border from Ukraine since last Thursday, while the European Union has emphasised the need to prepare for millions of refugees entering the bloc.

Johnson said during a visit to Warsaw: “We will make it easier for Ukrainians already living in the UK to bring their relatives to our country. Though the numbers are hard to calculate, there could be more than 200,000."

Downtown Kharkiv before and during the Russian aggression. Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine. Its residential areas have been targeted by Russian shells, rockets, bombs, missiles for days now (File photo: Euromaidan Press via Mariana_Betsa)

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invasion has already cost hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, and we must prepare for an even larger outflow, perhaps in the millions.” Britain has 1,000 troops on standby to help the humanitarian response in Ukraine’s neighbours, including Poland, Johnson said as he pledged up to 220 million pounds ($294.69 million) in emergency and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

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Interior minister Priti Patel told parliament the reunion criteria for Ukrainians would be widened to allow people living in Britain to bring parents, siblings, adult sons and daughters and grandparents to join them.

Visas for Ukrainian temporary workers in some sectors will be extended to allow them to remain in Britain until at least the end of this year, Patel added, and the government will also set up a humanitarian sponsorship route for Ukrainians who do not have family ties with Britain.

Patel said the usual language requirements and salary threshold for people coming to Britain to join their family would be lifted, and Ukrainians would be allowed to work and access public services.

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She said: “We will give them permission to enter the UK outside the usual rules for 12 months," adding “There is no limit on the numbers eligible under this route.”

Source: gulfnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.