Some Ukrainians have already been refused renewals of their leases, while others have been told they will not be able to work while their visas are being renewed.
Ukrainians who have found asylum in the UK risk finding themselves in a difficult situation due to delays in visa renewals. The Home Office process could leave some applicants unable to prove their right to live and work for up to eight weeks, threatening to make them homeless and lose their jobs as landlords and employers fear fines for dealing with people without leave to remain.
The Guardian reports.
Some Ukrainians have already had their leases refused renewals, while others have been told they will not be able to work while their visas are being renewed. Campaigners are calling on the UK to simplify the process and automate visa renewals to avoid a crisis caused by the influx of applications. The Home Office is expected to receive tens of thousands of requests from Ukrainians who arrived in the UK in 2022 between February 4 and June.
“This complicated system is causing a lot of trouble for many people,” says Simona Shechtman, coordinator of the Birmingham for Ukraine group. According to her, those affected are mainly women with children who have arrived, fleeing the war while their men remain in Ukraine. She also noted that in the EU, visa extensions are automatic, which significantly reduces the burden on refugees.
Another challenge for Ukrainians is that time spent in the UK does not count towards citizenship, which sets them apart from most other refugee groups.
“Four and a half years is not a temporary period. People have put down roots, they are getting an education, and children who arrived at the age of two are now more connected to the UK than to the country they left,” Shechtman adds.
She also drew attention to the fact that Ukrainians from the recaptured occupied territories may find their towns destroyed and local institutions changed due to Russia's Russification policy.
Birmingham University professor Sarah Jones explains that most Ukrainians are likely to have their visas extended and will be given so-called 3C permission, which allows them to remain in the UK while their applications are being processed. The problem, however, is that many will not be able to prove their status during this period, creating legal uncertainty.
“The application process is very complex, even for those with a good knowledge of English, and the strict deadlines make things even more difficult. Any application submitted outside the 28-day period will be automatically rejected,” Jones notes.
The head of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, Petro Revko, also stresses that the situation coincides with the third anniversary of the war, making this a particularly difficult time for Ukrainians. He believes that the visa extension process should have started much earlier, since rumors and panic are spreading due to uncertainty, and scammers have already started offering “fast-track processing” for a lot of money.
Recall that on Friday, January 31, the UK resumed a program easing visa rules for Ukrainian children to enter the country.
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