The United Kingdom has decided to close the scheme that allows Ukrainian nationals to join their family members in the country for new applicants.
Announcing the news, the Minister for Legal Migration and the Border, Tom Pursglove, said that such a decision has been taken in order to ensure that the other schemes that the country has for Ukrainians fleeing the war remain sustainable and meet the needs of those who are already in the country, VisaGuide.World reports.
We are making changes to the Ukraine schemes to ensure they remain sustainable and meet the needs of those seeking temporary sanctuary in the UK.
As BBC explains, the Scottish National Party said that the decision to close this scheme without any prior warning was cruel.
On the other hand, Minister Pursglove stressed that the Homes for Ukraine will continue to remain open for all those eligible. This scheme permits people in the UK to host refugees from Ukraine despite them not having any family ties.
Under the schemes that the UK has had in place since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, nearly 230,000 people have entered the country, with British people opening their homes up to those seeking refuge.
In line with the new changes, Pursglove revealed that Ukrainian nationals who have sought shelter in the UK under schemes will be permitted to apply for an 18-month visa extension.
We have today announced the intention to create a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE), which will provide a new route for Ukrainians to apply for a further 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK on expiry of their current visa.
The UK has also decided to reduce the length of new visas issued to Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The length will be reduced from 36 months to 18 months.
In order to guarantee that Ukrainian visa holders under schemes have appropriate accommodation and receive essential support within the UK to aid their integration and self-sufficiency, the UK has also decided to revise the sponsor eligibility criteria under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Moving forward, sponsors for new visas to Ukrainians must be either British or Irish citizens or have settled status in the UK, indicating their permanent right to reside in the country.
Previously, sponsors were only required to have at least six months of permission to stay in the UK from the visa application date.