Legal Update: Review of Ukraine schemes

Ukrainians migrating to the UK because of Russia's invasion of their homeland have mostly been mothers with children, grandparents, and single women, as well as some unaccompanied children. More than twice as many people have come with no pre-existing link to the UK through the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme as have come through the Ukraine Family Scheme (see in numbers box). This cross-Europe migration has happened amid an upswell of popular sympathy for these particular migrants, evoking echoes of the Kindertransport and Evacuees programmes during World War Two.

There have been strengths and weaknesses in the way that the UK has handled this event, and there is weakness in the strengths, and vice versa. Mobilisation of visa processing happened at speed and new people and resources were brought in, particularly the third sector, to facilitate applicants’ entry to the UK. Certain requirements – such as official translation of documents that would normally have been insisted upon by entry clearance officers – were dispensed with. At the same time, other migrants, who did have a pre-existing link to UK, were finding it more difficult than ever to enter. The digitisation of Home Office processes was shown to be both boon and barrier.