Kafkaesque confusion defines UK’s pitiful refugee policy

Britain has much to be proud of in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We have been training Ukrainian troops since 2015. The UK was the first country to send defensive weapons and provide training on how to use them. British diplomacy has been pivotal in ensuring widespread support for financial sanctions against the Putin regime.

Not for nothing has President Volodymyr Zelensky been so complimentary of the British response, often expressing his gratitude and calling Britain a “reliable” friend. He is in regular communication with the Prime Minister and has praised him for enhancing Ukraine’s combat capabilities. The standing ovation Boris Johnson received from people attending the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family in Mayfair was discombobulating to his detractors.

And on Monday, Sky News interviewed former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and he was gushing with praise for Britain, calling its response to the invasion “absolutely great” and telling of his “positive experience in communication with Boris Johnson” as Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. It’s important to acknowledge this to get a balanced view of the situation, but also because it makes the government’s moral failure on accepting refugees even more disappointing.

On Monday, it emerged that more than 10,000 people had applied for the UK’s Ukraine Family Scheme since Friday, but so far, only “around 50” visas have been granted, according to the Home Office. Little wonder – the application process is a Kafkaesque nightmare of red tape, especially for non-native English speakers. 

Whereas the EU was quick to offer to take any refugees visa-free for three years, the route to the UK is paved with red tape and the government has proven reluctant to do the right thing. This hard rhetoric and hostile environment is specifically designed to make the UK less inviting and ensure it is difficult for people to come here to live, work and seek refuge.

When the government eventually did provide a Ukrainian Humanitarian Route, it was woefully inadequate and cruelly restrictive. In response to the backlash, the government introduced the Ukraine Family Scheme, increasing the number of refugees allowed and extending the support to parents, grandparents, adult children and siblings. It also announced an uncapped visa route allowing sponsors, such as communities, private sponsors or local authorities, to bring people to the UK.

It was reported on Monday that the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, was looking into relaxing the rules further and offering a new humanitarian route” to the UK. On Sunday she told The Sun: “In response to the desperation I saw with my own eyes at the Polish border two days ago, I’m urgently escalating our response to the growing humanitarian crisis.

“I am now investigating the legal options to create a humanitarian route.

“This means anyone without ties to the UK fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will have a right to come to this nation.” The Sun reported that the new plan would be separate from the current families scheme and proposed sponsorship scheme that would allow Brits to support a new arrival that was announced last week.

Within hours Boris Johnson had contradicted his Home Secretary and sowed confusion when he appeared to reject her idea while speaking during a visit to RAF Northolt, insisting the UK has “two very, very generous routes already” which could see “hundreds of thousands” of Ukrainians come to this country.

He said: “What we won’t do, let me be very clear, what we won’t do is have a system where people can come into the UK without any checks or any controls at all. I don’t think that is the right approach.”

Government sources have also sought to clarify Patel’s comments, claiming they referred to the existing humanitarian route under which people need to be sponsored by organisations. There is, however, an understanding that the initial estimate of 200,000 people arriving will need to be revised due to the horrific conditions in Ukraine.

All in all, this is a story of moral failure, a disgraceful lack of urgency and appalling government communications. Ukrainians are fleeing for their lives as their country descends into hell and the Russians slaughter civilians and commit war crimes with impunity. Ukrainians attempting to come to the UK are finding the drawbridge is up as they hit a barrier of red tape and paperwork in Calais.   

Shockingly, even British citizens are facing disappointment when they hoped their own home would provide a safe haven. David Carter, a British citizen who fled Ukraine with family, claims to have been turned away at the border, told to find a hotel and wait because his wife and children are Ukrainian.

Britain is not rising to the occasion.

In defending its moral failure and the sluggish nature of British bureaucracy, Patel was almost boastful in saying that the UK’s Ukrainian visa scheme is the “first of its kind in the world”. This simply does not wash. It’s the first of its kind because other European countries have adopted a truly humanitarian approach and provided refuge by removing visa requirements.

According to the UN, Poland has taken in 1,028,000 refugees. Hungary 180,000. Moldova 83,000. Slovakia 128,000. Romania 79,000. Belarus 406. Britain is an island and not a neighbouring country so its numbers will never hit such heights, but it’s high time it joined other nations in providing a route to safety for refugees.

The government must waive all visa requirements for Ukrainian passport holders arriving in the UK. It’s time that we were proud to call Britain a safe haven. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.