Extracts from FCDO
questions: Ukrainian refugees
(Hackney North and Stoke
Newington) (Lab): Will the Foreign Secretary speak to her
colleague, the Home Secretary, about the cruel and chaotic way in
which desperate Ukrainian refugees are being
treated by the Home Office? It cannot be right that there is no
visa application centre in Calais, with Ukrainian
refugees who have travelled thousands of miles to Calais
being redirected either to Paris or to Brussels. Does the Foreign
Secretary agree that this brings the UK into disrepute?
: The Home Office has
placed staff in Poland and Hungary to help people, and the Home
Secretary has announced a new pop-up application site in Lille. I
can tell the right hon. Member that the Home Office has set up a
surgery for MPs in Portcullis House, to which I am sure she will
be very welcome to take any cases.
(Wirral South)
(Lab): I agree with the hon. Member for Moray (), who asked the first question
on this. Like all bullies, Vladimir Putin demonstrates horrific
patterns of behaviour. He helped to starve Syrians in Aleppo and
elsewhere, and now he is obliterating Ukrainian cities. But do we
not also have to look at our own patterns of behaviour? I see the
same administrative failures that hampered our response to Syrian
refugees now limiting that desire that the British public have to
help Ukrainian refugees. That administrative
incompetence is harming our approach. What consideration has the
Foreign Secretary made of the effect of the Home Office’s
inadequacies on Foreign Office objectives?
: We do have to learn
the lessons of the past 15 or 20 years, where we did not do
enough to tackle Putin and Russia, we allowed the build-up of
force and we did not respond strongly enough to what happened in
Crimea and the Donbas. I am determined to do things differently.
That is why the UK is leading not only on diplomacy, but on the
toughest possible sanctions and the toughest possible support for
the Ukrainian people in their resistance. I have already briefed
the House on the Home Secretary’s roll-out of new centres to help
Ukrainian people with visas. She has opened up a family route and
a sponsored humanitarian route, and we continue to take that
forward. We are open for refugees.
(Aberdeen South)
(SNP): It was reported today that the UK Government regard
Ukrainian refugees entering Ireland—women and
bairns fleeing Putin’s bombs—as a security threat. When will the
Government cut the hyperbole and the bureaucracy and give those
poor souls sanctuary in this country?(905949)
The Minister for Europe and North America (): The Prime Minister,
the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary have made it
absolutely clear that we will open our arms to Ukrainian
refugees. The Home Office is working to ensure that that
is done promptly and we will continue to support the Home Office
in its work in that area.
Urgent question on
Ukraine: Urgent Refugee Applications
(The Cotswolds)
(Con)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department if she will make a statement on how her Department can
speed up the urgent refugee applications coming from those
leaving Ukraine.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a barbaric and
unprovoked attack and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the
Ukrainian people. He must fail in Ukraine.
This Government have brought forward a generous humanitarian
offer to those Ukrainians who want to come to the UK to escape
the conflict. Last week, the Home Secretary announced a new
Ukraine family scheme for those with family ties to the UK, and
we are extending the scheme further to include aunts, uncles,
nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. The scheme went live last
Friday and has already seen over 10,000 applications submitted,
for which over 500 visas have been issued, with more being issued
as we speak. We have also announced that we are setting up a new
humanitarian sponsorship visa, and we are working at pace with
our colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities to set that up. We will also work with the devolved
Administrations.
We have made significant progress in a short space of time, on
top of the first phase of the package that my right hon. Friend
the Home Secretary set out to the House last week. I also remind
the House that a crucial part of the application process is
providing biometrics so that we can be sure that applicants are
who they say they are. Sadly, we are already seeing people
presenting at Calais with false documents claiming to be
Ukrainian. With incidents like Salisbury still in our minds, the
Government will not take chances with the security of this
country and our people. Our friends in the United States, Canada
and Australia are rightly taking the same approach as we are.
I would like to update the House on the measures that we are
taking to speed up and process the applications and to ensure
that we can help applicants as quickly as possible. We have
surged staff to key visa application centres across Europe,
particularly in Poland, and moved more biometric kit to support
them. We have ensured that casework teams are standing by in the
UK to process applications to ensure that there are no
delays.
We will also establish a larger presence in northern France to
help Ukrainians in the region. It is essential that we do not
create a choke point at places like Calais, where dangerous
people smugglers are present, and ensure the smooth flow of
people through the system from across Europe. Alongside that, we
are working with our embassies around the world to ensure that we
use our diplomatic channels to support our efforts and to provide
the latest information.
We have taken decisive action. We are now providing regular
public updates on our casework numbers and we will continue to
keep the House updated on this progress.
I thank my hon. Friend for that comprehensive answer. It is very
impressive that the Prime Minister and this Government have taken
such a world-leading role, uniting the west in imposing one of
the toughest sanctions regimes and providing military support for
Ukraine.
However, the UK has always been generous in admitting refugees,
especially in times of crisis in Europe, dating back to the
Huguenots. Concerned constituents have contacted me, so will my
hon. Friend tell the House how we can speed up the necessary
processing of refugees leaving the truly awful situation in
Ukraine? Will he also update the House on what is happening in
Calais, so that they can be processed either there or close by
with transport provided?
I understand that we require a process to securely check
applications that are made not only for security reasons, but so
that we can provide support in this country. However, we surely
could speed the process up by, for example, rewashing biometric
and other data that we already have. We need not only efficiency,
but humanity when processing applications of refugees from
Ukraine and we should warmly welcome those refugees to this
country.
I thank my hon. Friend for the way in which he put his questions.
He is right that we as a country have stood forward to support
Ukraine, not least in supplying it with the weaponry that is
being used to defend people’s homes and to push back this
barbaric and unprovoked attack on their nation.
I appreciate that there are concerns. We are training new
caseworkers, who, as of tomorrow, will take more decisions. We
are looking to review what we can and to use some of the
technology that we have—for example, around what we deployed for
the British nationals overseas route and how that could be
brought into effect. We are also reviewing some of the
requirements on biometrics for under-18s to free up visa
appointments in visa application centres.
On my hon. Friend’s specific points on northern France, we are
looking to establish a presence in Lille and potentially looking
at transport options from Calais to Lille. There are issues with
providing particular application points at the port, but we are
looking at how we can do it, and we expect that to be set up
within the next 24 hours.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Home Secretary.
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
It is deeply disappointing that the Home Secretary is not here to
respond, given the gravity of the issue—especially after she gave
wrong information to the House several times yesterday.
Two million refugees have left Ukraine. Other countries are
supporting hundreds of thousands of people; the Home Office is
currently issuing about 250 family scheme visas a day. Most
people want to stay close to home, but some want to come here to
join family or friends, and we should be helping them. Instead,
most people are still being held up by Home Office bureaucracy or
are being turned away.
Yesterday, the Home Secretary told the House twice that a visa
centre en route to Calais had been set up, but it still does not
exist. The Foreign Secretary has just said that it might be in
Lille, nearly 75 miles from Calais. The Home Office said this
morning that no decision had been taken. Which is it? Has it?
Where is it? Can people get there yet?
The Home Secretary said yesterday:
“It is wrong to say that we are just turning people
back”.—[Official Report, 7 March 2022; Vol. 710, c. 27.]
But there are 600 people in Calais right now who have been turned
back and are being told to go to Brussels, where the visa centre
is open only three days a week, or to Paris, where people are
still being told that the next appointment is on 15 March, a week
away. In Warsaw, people are also still being told that the next
appointment is on 15 March, a week away. In Rzeszów, the booking
system seems to have completely broken down: this morning, they
are sending people away.
The Home Office was warned by the chief inspector in November
that the geographical spread of visa application centres was a
real problem for vulnerable applicants, leading to difficult
journeys, yet it did nothing about it, even when it was given
weeks of warning by British intelligence that an invasion was
coming.
Yesterday, the Home Secretary told me that elderly aunts were
covered by the scheme. Two hours later, the Home Office helpline
said that they were not. I welcome the inclusion of extended
relatives, but the Government should not be continuing to change
the system in a chaotic way, rather than opening it properly.
Will the Government urgently set up emergency visa centres at all
major travel points, do the security checks on the spot and then
issue emergency visas for Ukrainians—for all family, but not just
family—so that they can come here and the UK can do our historic
bit to help refugees fleeing war in Europe, as we have done
before?
The answer to the right hon. Lady’s points about setting up a
facility in northern France was in the comments that I have just
made about Lille and about setting it up in the next 24
hours.
On the numbers that the right hon. Lady cites, we are training
more decision makers as we speak. We are pulling people in from
across UK Visas and Immigration to ensure that there is an almost
frictionless approach to caseworking, and we will see the number
of visas issued ramping up each day.
But this is a complex scenario. As I touched on in my statement,
we have seen people presenting themselves at Calais port
pretending to be Ukrainian. [Interruption.] I appreciate that
some Opposition Members may think that that is not an issue, but
we need only look at some of the statements coming out of the
Kremlin to see which countries are very much in the crosshairs of
Mr Putin’s Russia and his regime. We only have to look back a
short period to see the impact in this country of attacks by
those pretending that they had come here to look at a cathedral
spire.
We will move out to extend this. We recognise the desperate
plight that there is; that is why we are working with countries
on the ground, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring that we
are helping to provide support as people cross borders. We are
looking to ensure that we have a wide system that allows people
to come here, and abandoning many of our normal requirements for
countries. We recognise that it is not a time for the usual
immigration process, hence the system that we are setting up. As
we have said, we have the confidence that it will expand. We know
that the British people will be generous. We know that when we
move to open up the sponsorship visa, many people, including many
of our constituents, will want to step forward.
I will just say that if we look at the surveys being done in
Ukraine about which countries people feel are most on their side,
it is notable which one regularly comes top.
(North Thanet) (Con)
I am sorry that the Home Secretary is not here today to answer
our questions. In response to my question yesterday, she
said:
“I have already made it clear, in terms of the visa application
centre that has now been set up en route to Calais, that we have
staff in Calais”.—[Official Report, 7 March 2022; Vol. 710, c.
28.]
That was untrue, and under any normal Administration that in
itself would be a resignation issue. There is no visa centre at
Lille yet, although earlier this morning the Foreign Secretary
said that there was.
A week ago, the Home Secretary announced the introduction of a
humanitarian sponsorship visa. There is as yet no humanitarian
sponsorship visa. It is time that the Home Office granted a visa
waiver, and allowed children and all adults with Ukrainian
passports to come into the country now.
I understand that the Home Secretary clarified her remarks
yesterday, and I have been clear about the position regarding the
centre that we are establishing.
I do hear the appeal that has been made, but there is a reason
why we believe it is right that key security checks are carried
out before people arrive in the United Kingdom. We are, however,
reviewing the specific position on the provision of biometrics by
those aged under 18. We will act on the basis of risk and advice
that we receive, including advice from our security services. We
are a country that is in Mr Putin’s crosshairs, we are a country
that has stood resolutely behind the Ukrainian Government and
continues to do so, and we are a country that will welcome
literally thousands of people in what is probably one of the
biggest moves to provide shelter and refuge for a generation.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson, .
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
I agree with the right hon. Member for North Thanet ( ): it is time to stop messing
about with the broken bureaucracy and to scrap it altogether,
with no more visas required. That is how we can quickly fulfil
our obligations to the people of Ukraine. Our European allies can
do it safely and securely, so why cannot the Home Secretary?
There are other ways to address our security concerns after the
arrival of refugees, such as what we do with non-visa nationals
and what we did with evacuated Afghans. The Minister should not
quote Salisbury at us, because that has nothing whatever to do
with this situation.
How does the Minister justify all the other massive restrictions
on who can come here? Why can a cousin not join a cousin? Why do
no non-family ties count at all? Crucially, why is it that many
thousands of Ukrainians in this country—whether skilled workers,
agricultural workers or students—cannot be joined by anyone under
the family rules, just because they do not have permanent
residence yet? People cannot wait months for possible community
sponsorship.
Finally, let me ask this question again: does not the last
fortnight illustrate just how ill-conceived the disgraceful
Nationality and Borders Bill is? Under the Bill, a Ukrainian
fleeing here to join a cousin or friend could be criminalised,
offshored, imprisoned—all because there is no visa for them. That
is utterly indefensible, is it not?
Having been closely involved in the evacuation from Kabul, along
with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office, I would remind the hon.
Gentleman that we did carry out security checks on people who
were leaving what was a very different and very dynamic
environment, especially given the obvious threat, so the
suggestion that we did not carry out any checks before that
evacuation is not correct.
As for the launch of the sponsorship scheme, we do not see that
taking months, as the hon. Gentleman suggested. We are already
seeing people coming forward with generous offers of homes, jobs
and wider support. A hotel in my constituency with a Ukrainian
speaker is starting to look at the possibility of offering jobs
and accommodation. As the hon. Gentleman knows, last week I had a
helpful and productive conversation with the relevant Scottish
Government Minister, and, to be fair, I know that the Scottish
Government will also step up and do what they can.
The hon. Gentleman said that it was not appropriate to use the
Salisbury example, but we do need to remember why we have these
checks in place. It is because, as we have already seen at
Calais, there are people presenting with false documents, and
there are people making claims that are not true. However, I
recognise that the House wants to see us getting on with
processing, putting more people on to this work, and ensuring
that we can, as quickly as possible, provide for a very large
number of people to move into the UK. As I have said, this one of
our biggest moves to provide sanctuary for a generation.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. Let me say to Members, so that they can help each other,
that these exchanges will run until about 1.40 pm, so the shorter
the questions and answers, the better it will be.
(Romsey and Southampton
North) (Con)
Snails also move “at pace”. No date has yet been set for a
humanitarian sponsorship visa scheme, and as a result people who
are coming forward with generous offers are advising their
Ukrainian friends to apply for visitors’ visas. But what of those
who do not have passports? What of children who are completely
undocumented? When my hon. Friend the Minister says that he is
moving at pace, he should bear in mind that the pace needs to be
a great deal faster.
It is possible for children and others to travel to the UK
without a passport if permission has been granted. As a former
Immigration Minister, my right hon. Friend will be familiar with
that process. As for where we are at present, we are making sure
that the process is being stepped up. We have extended the
provisions, and of course the sponsorship route will provide a
whole new opportunity for people to extend a generous offer and
the hand of friendship to those who need sanctuary in the UK.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, .
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
I am grateful for the granting of the urgent question, but I
think that a statement from the Home Office would have been a
much better way of dealing with the confusion of recent days.
I believe we are united in the House in wanting to do the right
thing for the Ukrainian people who are fleeing in fear of their
lives, and to offer protection and sanctuary. The Home Affairs
Committee has twice invited the Minister to come and explain how
the Home Office is dealing with this. He has agreed to come next
week and we are grateful for that, but we should not have to ask
twice.
I want to ask the Minister why, on Sunday, the Home Secretary
went on record to tell journalists:
“I am…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.”
On Monday, Ministers seemed to have no idea about that. Can the
Minister update us? Is this matter under consideration in the
Home Office, given that there is clearly a great deal of support
for the granting of a humanitarian visa?
As the right hon. Lady will know from my original letter to her,
we felt that pulling officials away to do a session before the
Home Affairs Committee tomorrow would have meant pulling them—and
me—away from the preparations for bringing people to the UK.
However, we also specifically said that we would seek to agree on
a later date, and that could, perhaps, have been reflected in the
statement issued on Friday.
Let me deal with the right hon. Lady’s more substantive points.
We have the existing process for those who have relatives here,
and we are extending it well beyond the normal relatives and
dependants. Moreover, the wider sponsorship route will provide
many other opportunities for people to come to the UK.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
Does the Minister agree that most of the help with processing
visas should be provided close to the Ukrainian border? What are
the Government doing to increase processing there—in particular,
in the small country of Moldova, which has taken more than 80,000
Ukrainians? Have we a presence there, and how open is that visa
centre?
We do have visa application centres in the countries bordering
Ukraine, and we have stepped up capacity there, particularly in
countries that are in the European economic area. Normally a very
small number of EEA nationals need to go to a visa application
centre, so we have been bringing in resources from other areas to
bolster those centres. There is, in fact, a centre in Moldova. I
understand that it has moved to seven-day working, although
obviously demand will be very high, and people can apply from any
visa application centre where they can get an appointment; they
do not need to be in a country immediately bordering Ukraine. As
I have said, we continue to expand capacity, and we are
considering the position relating to those under 18 and whether
they need to provide biometrics.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
I think the House would be more impressed by the Minister’s
security concerns had his initial response not been to tweet,
“Let them pick fruit.” He speaks about complex scenarios. Is he
not even a little embarrassed that the United Kingdom, uniquely
in Europe, seems to be finding it too difficult to tackle those
complex scenarios?
Again, I would make the point that we have stepped up a system
that will grant three years of leave, giving people more
permanent status here in the UK and the security to move forward.
As we have always said, there is a range of routes available. It
should come as no surprise that those countries that are least
popular with the Putin regime—ourselves, the US, Canada and
Australia—are taking similar approaches.
Dame (South Northamptonshire)
(Con)
The breadth of support that the UK Government are offering to
Ukraine is fantastic, as is recognised by Ukrainians. It is
shocking to hear the Opposition jeering at the prospect of the
Government trying to protect the UK people from further such
attacks as took place in Salisbury. Nevertheless, I agree with
colleagues who are concerned about the speed of processing of
these visas. In particular, in my own constituency I have someone
whose sister-in-law is stuck in Ukraine and someone else whose
aunt is stuck there. Can my hon. Friend give us an update on what
exactly we are doing to facilitate family reunification?
I thank my right hon. Friend for her question. I would make the
point that people do not need to wait in Ukraine if they are
thinking of applying for the humanitarian family visa and if they
are able to travel safely across Ukraine. We all recognise the
reality of the barbaric approach that some Russian forces are
taking to civilians. It is clear that there are regular breaches
of international law and that war crimes are being committed, so
there is a real issue about whether people can genuinely travel
safely across Ukraine, but if they wish to, they can travel to a
safe and democratic country across the border and make their
application from there. As I have said, we have extended the
definition, and we are rapidly expanding the caseworking teams to
ensure that we can get through the applications and get people
here so that they can be with their relatives in the UK.
(Hackney North and Stoke
Newington) (Lab)
Does the Minister understand how poorly it reflects on this
country that our system for processing Ukrainian refugees is so
slow and shambolic? Even accepting the need for biometric tests
and so on, why can they not be done on the spot? Why can this not
be expedited so that these desperate people can come and join
their families here in the UK?
Across the world, people are reflecting on the immense support
that the United Kingdom and this Government have provided to the
people of Ukraine. That is reflected quite regularly in comments
by those who are in Ukraine. We are looking to speed up the
process but it is important to carry out essential security
checks for the reasons we have outlined.
(Ashford) (Con)
I hate to harp on about the phrase “at pace”, but can the
Minister give some indication whether it will be weeks or months
before the humanitarian sponsorship route is open? Separately, I
take his point about security and the need for biometric checks,
but I do not understand why those checks cannot be done in this
country once we have got the people here safe and sound.
Those who are applying are actually in safe countries as we
speak. As I have said, there is no requirement for people to stay
in Ukraine to make an application if they can safely make their
way across the border to one of the safe and democratic countries
next door that we are supporting to provide support for those
crossing the border. My right hon. Friend will know from his own
experience that, for a range of reasons, if we bring people into
the country we perform checks, but we certainly do not want to go
down the route of using immigration detention powers while these
checks are being undertaken. We do not believe that that would be
appropriate at all.
(Eltham) (Lab)
One visa centre in Poland has closed its doors and is no longer
allowing walk-in appointments. It is 3° outside, and there is an
81-year-old woman outside, along with other women and children.
There is plenty of room inside but the centre will not open its
doors. This is complete chaos, and it is unacceptable. What is
the Minister going to do about it?
I am happy to look at the particular example that the hon.
Gentleman has cited, but we are surging staff and resource and we
are conscious of the position there and of how we can increase
capacity to ensure that we can get as many people in as possible.
In particular, I have already touched on looking at whether
children need to give biometrics. We will be guided on that by
the security advice that we receive. That will mean that there
will be large numbers of extra appointments, plus a cohort that
will not need to submit biometrics.
Sir (South Swindon) (Con)
One way we can rapidly scale up capacity is to use technology.
What is my hon. Friend’s view of the ability of Ukrainians with
biometric passports to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app,
which does apply and has been used by many applications from Hong
Kong? May I commend that course of action to him?
We are looking at adapting the AUK2 app for Hong Kong special
administrative region—HKSAR—passports as well as for British
national overseas passports. Adapting it for BNO passports was
relatively easy; HKSAR passports were slightly more complex. This
is something we have been looking at, although it does bring
certain challenges to ensure that passports can be read and that
the process goes through appropriately, but it is something that
we are actively considering because it would allow us to issue
e-visas.
(Llanelli) (Lab)
From offers by individual constituents and the Welsh Government’s
action in talking to Cardiff airport about welcoming refugees
there, we can see support from the British people who are very
keen to welcome Ukrainian refugees. However, I am immensely
embarrassed that, while other countries across Europe have been
welcoming them with open arms for three years without any
questions about being part of particular family, the Minister is
so determined that we should not have a broader and more
welcoming system for all Ukrainians to come here.
I would point to the sponsorship system that will be set up,
which will be open pretty much to many and all Ukrainians,
although I remind the House that the vast majority of people
understandably want to remain in the region. They will want to go
home after the invader has been defeated and expelled from their
country. The idea that all Ukrainians are looking to move
elsewhere is not correct, but the sponsorship scheme will allow a
wide and generous offer and we very much look forward to seeing
offers to sponsor people coming forward from across Wales.
(Skipton and Ripon) (Con)
The Minister has talked about training new decision-makers. How
many are being trained today? What discussions have taken place
with retired decision-makers and caseworkers, and what
discussions have happened across Government with other people who
are used to making decisions on behalf of Her Majesty’s
Government, to assess how they could assist with this issue?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his thoughtful question. We have
50 in training today, and we are bringing the whole of UK Visas
and Immigration’s quite significant resource to bear on this. In
the first instance, we will take decision-makers off other
immigration routes, because they will be familiar with
immigration decisions and will therefore be more likely to take
immigration decisions more quickly in this area. We are also
talking to other Government Departments about apprentices and
others who can potentially backfill other parts of the
immigration system. UKVI employs thousands of decision-makers and
we are looking across the piece at those with experience that we
can deploy in this area and then potentially backfill other parts
with those from other Departments.
(Motherwell and Wishaw)
(SNP)
I have a list here of everything my constituent has done to get
his Ukrainian wife into this country. He started with an
application on 12 February. They lost his family in the system. I
have spoken to the Minister and I have been to the hub. Today my
constituent emailed me four times to say that he was in Rzeszów,
that the transport layer security—TLS—system was broken, that his
appointment had not been registered and that there was no
guarantee he would be seen. The final email said that he had been
advised to leave the visa application centre, which had managed
to process only seven people and was down from two clerks to one.
He has been advised to go to the embassy in Warsaw. He needs
biometrics, because nobody will look at him until he has them,
but he is a UK national and all he wants is to get his wife and
daughters back to Wishaw. Help!
The hon. Lady will realise that it would not be appropriate for
me to go into the detail of individual cases on the Floor of the
House, but I am very happy to speak to her afterwards to see what
we can do to resolve the situation.
(Forest of Dean) (Con)
As a former Immigration Minister, I am very sympathetic to the
need to do appropriate security checks. I have publicly defended
the Government on this issue, but we need to grip the pace of
this, which will require Ministers to take decisions to move
things along quickly.
The Home Secretary announced the humanitarian sponsorship route a
week ago. I heard what my right hon. Friend the Member for
Ashford () said about weeks or months,
but I was thinking about days. I expect a Minister to be at the
Dispatch Box by Thursday to set it out. We have to start working
at the pace these events require, so will the Minister commit to
an update on the humanitarian sponsorship scheme on Thursday?
The Government will be happy to update Members on Thursday on
what is happening, whether through a “Dear colleague” letter or
another appropriate forum. We intend that it will be weeks, not
months, before we start welcoming people into the UK. This will
be an unlimited offer that reflects people’s generosity, but I
appreciate that we now need to get on and get it launched.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
I have been in the Chamber since the start of business, and it is
not often that I feel ashamed. I have listened to a range of
Ministers make half-baked excuses for no action. The President of
Ukraine will be speaking to us later, and this is when our
hearts, minds and prayers are with the people of Ukraine. For
God’s sake, will the ministerial team and the Government please
get their act together and open the doors to these poor
people?
We look forward to hearing the President later, and we reflect on
how he has inspired his people in resisting the invasion,
including with the arms we have supplied. We are, as we have
outlined, surging decision makers, upping the capacity of VAC and
considering whether under-18s should continue submitting
biometrics, which would not only speed up their applications but
free up appointments for others. We are moving caseworking
resource from across UKVI to get through the applications, and we
will continue to take further action to speed up the process. I
hear what the House is saying.
(Chatham and Aylesford)
(Con)
I thank the officials in the Portcullis House hub who are
providing helpful advice to constituents.
We have been advised to get people to Rzeszów in Poland for
biometric testing to support their application, but the word on
the ground is that there are no biometric appointments in Rzeszów
until the end of next month. When constituents’ families are sent
to these posts for biometric testing, can the Minister confirm
that the testing will actually be available?
I am concerned about that example. We will continue to look to
increase biometric capacity. As I said, we are actively
considering removing the need for biometric testing for under-18s
and whether we can adapt the technology we used for Hong Kong
BNOs who do not need to go to a VAC as part of their application,
which would innately create further capacity for people to come
through the system. We will continue to look at how we can surge
and increase the capacity of our application centres across the
region, not just the one that has been cited.
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
My constituents in Vauxhall want to see the UK make it clear that
refugees are welcome. We need a clear and simple process in place
for people seeking asylum, but vulnerable people need support
before they get to the border. There are urgent humanitarian
problems, including access to food, transportation, sanitation
and hygiene facilities, mental health services, bereavement
support and emergency healthcare, including for people living
with HIV. Will the Minister please ensure that the UK’s asylum
system begins with immediate aid for people who need to flee?
The hon. Lady makes some strong points. One of the reasons we are
working closely with the countries bordering Ukraine is that,
given the end of direct travel, it is extremely unlikely that
people will make it to the UK in a day. Those who have just
crossed the border from Ukraine will need a range of support,
including medical support, and colleagues in the Department of
Health and Social Care are talking with the Polish health
authorities because Poland’s hospitals are clearly beginning to
become fairly full. We will need to look across western Europe
for others to support them, including by potentially taking
patients from those hospitals into the UK. I make it clear that
people who enter our asylum system will arrive with status and
will be able to get on with their life. They will not have to
make a further application here.
(South West Wiltshire)
(Con)
Salisbury borders my constituency, so I fully accept the need for
security checks, particularly on adult males. But the fact
remains that the Republic of Ireland, with which we share a
common travel area, has a population of 5 million and has
committed to take 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, having already
admitted more than 2,000. This country, with a population of 67
million, has come nowhere close to that. Why not?
First, looking at what we are doing, we estimate that about
100,000 people are potentially eligible for the family route, and
we have an unlimited position on the sponsorship route, which
could well see us exceed quite significantly the numbers offered
by the Republic of Ireland.
Visas are now going out. As I said, nearly 500 had been granted
as of 9.30 this morning, and more are being granted as we speak.
We are surging decision-making capability and upping the
biometrics process, which will quickly increase the numbers
arriving in the United Kingdom, on top of the numbers we have
already welcomed as we moved UK nationals and their families
earlier this year.
(North Antrim) (DUP)
My constituent Michael Jevdokymenko has been contacted by his
family, who have fled from Ukraine. They have no documents, no
papers—nothing. They are at the border with a little
three-year-old child. What assistance can we provide to give that
family hope, to get them to Northern Ireland and to let them
re-establish some semblance of normality? Where is the Christian
compassion for which this nation was known?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that example. We are conscious
that people are leaving without the normal proof they might have
of family relationships. It would clearly be inappropriate to
insist that people try to get a marriage certificate or something
like that if they have fled from their home. We have provisions
that allow travel without passports and other documents,
obviously once certain checks and nominations are done. Again,
that is part of the process that is being established.
We are conscious that, even where people have access to
documents, they might not have the full documents. We are also
conscious that people will potentially have left in a hurry, so
they may not have had time to bring particular documents. Not
having a passport will not be a bar, but we will need to use
other processes to identify them, which is not unusual in
situations where we are moving people at pace.
(Winchester) (Con)
So much about this does not feel right, and my constituents know
what they see. All of this is far too robotic. As the hon. Member
for North Antrim () said, very little Christian compassion is being
shown at the moment. Surely we are past the UK saying that we are
going to have a generous scheme; it is time to deliver a generous
scheme.
The family scheme is too slow and the humanitarian sponsorship
scheme, as I raised with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities yesterday, is still being designed at the
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. I do not
want to hear the Minister say that that is another Department, as
he is the Minister at the Dispatch Box. At the very least, can we
have a simple online gateway up and running tomorrow so that
constituents who want to help can at least register their
interest? There is so much compassion and desire to help, but
people are not able to do so.
I recognise my hon. Friend’s concern. The vast majority of
councils in this country, including my own, took part in the
Afghan resettlement scheme, and many are already offering to take
details and offers of help in preparation for the launch of the
humanitarian sponsorship route. I encourage my constituents to do
it, and I know he will be encouraging his constituents to think
of what offers they can make. The compassion of this country is
shown by the fact this will be an unlimited scheme, on top of the
family scheme, and could potentially be one of the biggest
movements into communities in the UK since the evacuations of the
1930s.
(Cardiff South and Penarth)
(Lab/Co-op)
I thank the Minister for his personal help, but my constituents
share the absolute frustration at the speed at which the
Government are moving on this issue. Can he get a grip on the
situation in Warsaw? I heard today of people who are seeking to
join their family in the UK but who are being told that there are
no appointments available until at least 15 March, even though
they have been in Poland for some time having escaped Kyiv. Will
he publish how many staff have actually been posted to Warsaw,
Bucharest, Budapest, Bratislava and Chisinau? Have we actually
sent staff? Are all of them operating at seven-day capacity? How
long do people have to wait for appointments in those
locations?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his points. We are surging staff
into our visa applications centres; I am conscious of the fact
that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also has a
separate system of posts and diplomatic presence there. We are
looking at how we can expand the capacities, and I have touched
on some other things we are looking at in order to remove the
need for a biometric appointment entirely.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
(PC)
Yet again, we see the Home Office refusing to grasp the urgency
of this crisis. Just like the Afghan resettlement scheme, these
schemes are too limited and progress is too slow. My constituents
are desperate to help and are offering their homes, but no
sponsorship information is available. The Welsh Government are
offering to help, as are Welsh local authorities. What
discussions has the Minister had with them to facilitate this
scheme? What estimate does he have of the number of sponsorships
available in Wales?
On engagement with the Welsh Government, I understand that
colleagues in the Department that lead on this have spoken to the
Welsh and Scottish Governments about the provisions. Of course
this will depend on how many sponsors come forward and how many
people want to be part of welcoming people into their own homes
and own community across Wales—I suspect we will see a generous
amount. On urgency, we took 16,000 people out of Kabul in two
weeks, we worked at pace and we are still evacuating people out
of Afghanistan as we speak. We will soon be welcoming many
thousands from Ukraine into the UK, alongside having the most
generous sponsorship scheme that exists, given that it is
completely uncapped.
(New Forest East) (Con)
Many of the Ukrainian refugees who eventually get here will be
vulnerable women and children, not all of whom will have
relatives here who can offer a roof over their heads. Have the
Government given any thought to setting up some sort of portal or
clearing house where offers of accommodation can be made and
basic safety checks can also be made before vulnerable people
take up those offers?
My right hon. Friend makes a very good point. We are talking
about potentially vulnerable individuals arriving in a cohort,
and we will need to make sure that basic safeguarding checks are
in place, particularly where people are offering to welcome
people into their homes. I know that my colleagues are closely
looking at how that can be done, but without it becoming a
barrier to enabling the swift movement of this scheme.
(Bradford East) (Lab)
A refugee is a refugee, regardless of the colour of their skin or
their background. So I am deeply concerned about reports of
refugees from a BAME background being stopped at the Ukrainian
border and turned away. Does the Minister agree that such reports
are despicable? What are the Government doing to ensure the safe
passage of all refugees fleeing from this horrific conflict?
The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the fact that Ukraine
provided a safe haven for people leaving Afghanistan. It is not
just one community living in Ukraine; like our own country, it is
a set of ideals as a nation and it is not based on a particular
ethnicity. It would be concerning to hear that people are being
turned away at the Ukrainian border. Obviously, we do not control
that border, as he will appreciate. There is also Ukrainian law
to consider in relation to men aged 18 to 60, who are required to
stay in Ukraine for military service, including dual nationals.
Again, that is a decision taken by Ukraine. However, we would
certainly be clear that race and ethnicity should not play any
part in the decisions taken at that border on allowing people to
leave Ukraine and enter safe and democratic countries next door,
and then potentially move on to the UK via our schemes.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
I appreciate that Ministers and officials are grappling with a
horrendously complex situation, but it is worrying that some
contradictory advice has been offered to Members. I have a
constituent who has pre-settled status and I was told by the
Members’ help desk on Thursday that she would be able to bring
her two young children across. Yesterday, she emailed to say
that, no, the published advice was against that. I went back to
the help desk, where they said they were going to escalate the
query. I am escalating it even further, to the Minister: does
this lady with pre-settled status have the ability to bring her
two young children into the UK?
This is probably one I may wish to take away and look at, in
respect of the rules around the EU settlement scheme,
particularly if this lady was here with pre-settled status during
the time of free movement, because some particular rules apply to
those people—again, they are free-of-charge application routes. I
would certainly be happy to take that one away and get
confirmation.
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
The Minister may be interested to know—I am very surprised he has
not already mentioned this—that Citizens UK has set up a
registration link for communities and individuals who want to
register their interest in community sponsorship. Community
sponsorship is a route by which people can come to the UK only if
a scheme exists to which communities can apply. The delay in
setting up the Afghan scheme was a disgrace, so will the Minister
say when we will have a scheme? Community sponsorship is a
lengthy process and it can take up to a year before a community
group can be matched with a family to come here, so will he say
what will be different about this scheme that will make it fit
for purpose to meet the urgency of this crisis?
I recognise that a number of groups are encouraging people to
register to help, and I welcome that—again, once the official
scheme moves forward, that will be a welcome source of
information. On community sponsorship, the hon. Lady rightly
highlights some of the issue. On a wider point, we have announced
that we are going to look at that, as we do think community
sponsorship takes too long and too many barriers can be thrown in
the way of it. On this scheme, our intention is for a minimised
process that does not involve things such as local authority
consent and some of the things we see in community sponsorship.
This is much simplified and is about matching up those who are
prepared to make a particular offer of accommodation and support,
and those who are able to take that up, subject, as the hon. Lady
would expect, to some of the safeguarding issues that I have
touched on already.
(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
It is wholly appropriate to recognise the breadth and scale of
support that the Government have given, as well as the
significant steps that the Minister and his colleagues have
taken. But we also need to recognise and understand the desperate
plight of people fleeing such persecution and the risks they
face. My constituent Yuri Nobles has returned to Ukraine to bring
family members back but is struggling to get an appointment, like
so many others here. In recognising the challenge the Minister
faces and the challenge from the constituent, may I ask what
consideration the Minister has given to extending expired
biometric assessments, which can easily be extended to be made
appropriate now?
As I touched on partly in my reference to the system that was
used for British nationals overseas, we are looking at what role
could be played by previously submitted biometrics and at those
who have previously had visas to the UK in the recent past who
possess a biometric passport. As this stage, we are conscious
that where we can reduce the numbers who need to go to a visa
application centre, it will free up capacity. As I say, however,
our first thoughts have been looking at the requirements for
those under 18 and we are looking at the final security advice on
doing that.
(Exeter) (Lab)
Using the risk from Kremlin operatives—who have rather easier
ways of reaching this country than by posing as refugees—as an
excuse for this mean-spirited and shambolic approach simply will
not do. Until the Minister follows the advice of the right hon.
Member for North Thanet ( ), are he and his fellow
Ministers not going to have to keep coming back to this House to
explain this shambles? Just do what the right hon. Gentleman
suggested, and what the whole of the rest of Europe is doing, and
offer visa-free entry for a limited period to Ukrainian
refugees.
As I have outlined, there are clear reasons why we are doing this
and we do believe it is right. Basic security checks are made for
people arriving in the UK and this is not just happening in the
UK; the USA, Canada and Australia are doing exactly the same.
(North Wiltshire) (Con)
A professional couple from Malmesbury in my constituency tell me
that they are in Poland trying to help their relations from
Ukraine, who are very well-educated and English-speaking, of
course. They tell me that they are sitting up late into the night
tussling with the complexities of the forms involved, including
one for a child who is one year old, to whom the form does not
apply—it asks for his employment and so on. They tell me that the
information they are getting on the website is quite different
from the information they are getting on the ground; that, like
so many others, they have been told they cannot have an
appointment for at least another week; and that the hotels in
Poland are full and therefore they have nowhere to stay. They
just need the thing simplified. I would not go as far as asking
for a visa waiver, and the Minister would not want to do that,
but surely to goodness he could make the system simpler, simplify
the form and cut the time taken.
It is a fair point and I am certainly happy to hear my hon.
Friend’s feedback and what his constituents have encountered in
more depth after the urgent question. As I say, more than 10,000
applications have been submitted to a scheme that went live on
Friday, which indicates that quite a large number of people are
getting through the process, but we certainly continue to
consider how we can make it simpler and quicker and, as I have
touched on, we are reviewing things such as the need for those
aged under 18 to submit biometrics.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
I am sure that, on International Women’s Day, I do not have to
remind the Minister of the particular vulnerability of women in
war zones. My Edinburgh South West constituent Oleg Dmitriev has
two nieces in Ukraine. He tells me that they are reluctant to
flee because what they are hearing on the news makes them think
it will be very difficult for them to join their uncle in
Scotland. They are asking him why they should risk their lives to
get to a third country when the likelihood of their getting a
visa to join their uncle in the United Kingdom is vanishingly
small. What should Oleg say to his nieces?
I would say to Oleg that, first, we have extended the scheme to
include nieces, and if they are his nieces and he wishes them to
come to the United Kingdom, they will be able to get a visa to do
so. As the hon. and learned Lady touched on, in respect of travel
from and within Ukraine, people are in a perilous situation due
to the barbaric actions of Russian forces. As we have said, a
niece would certainly stand a good chance of getting a visa and
they should certainly make an application.
(Elmet and Rothwell)
(Con)
I am proud of my constituents who are coming forward to offer as
much help as possible and I am proud of the Prime Minister in the
way he is leading the world, but the Home Office is cutting off
their legs and it is simply not good enough. Does the Home Office
recognise that this is a war the likes of which have not been
seen for 80 years in Europe? We do not want to stand in this
House and listen to plans and processes; we want dates and we
want action. The Home Office must react far more quickly than it
is doing and get to the point of hubs of people, get them
processed and get them in. This is a disgrace. I ask the
Minister, when he leaves the Dispatch Box, to go back to the Home
Office and tell it to get a grip!
As I have already outlined, we are making quite a number of
changes. We met officials this morning to push further ones
through and we have extended the entitlements and who can apply.
As I say, this will become one of the biggest relocations of
people since the wartime evacuation. Let us just get this into
perspective and scale: it is beyond what we have done for BNOs,
what we have done over a number of years for Syrians and what we
propose to do for Afghan nationals. This will show a generous
side of the United Kingdom, alongside the support we have been
providing for Ukraine more generally, which has created a very
strong impression of the United Kingdom.
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
Yesterday, I was speaking to a constituent, Stephanie, who was
fighting back the tears as she told me how terrified she is about
the security of her family, with whom she has lost contact. I am
disgusted by the lack of urgency and compassion from the
Government. Will the Minister say why the visa application centre
in Brussels is closed? Why is it open only three days a week?
As we say, we have been surging staff into the region. We do not
want to see people having to travel all the way to western Europe
to make applications, having left their country and having made
what is now an increasingly dangerous journey across Ukraine,
particularly if people come into contact with Russian forces, who
are showing minimal respect for international law, or perhaps
none at all. As we say, we are surging staff and increasing
processing capacity, and Members will start to see the impact of
that very shortly.
(Kensington) (Con)
I am glad that the Home Secretary visited the Ukrainian social
club in my constituency, with the Ukrainian ambassador, to hear
directly from my residents. I have many Ukrainians in my
constituency and a number have relatives who are still in
Ukraine, where there are existing biometric records. I urge my
hon. Friend the Minister to look further at the ideas proposed by
my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Swindon
(Sir ) and my right hon. Friend
the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (), to see whether we can find
electronic solutions?
The Home Secretary had a positive visit and our relationship with
the ambassadors and the community has been strong, given the
broad range of support we are providing to Ukraine. We are
providing support not just in the form of lethal aid into Ukraine
itself but to countries, including those with borders with
Ukraine, that are now dealing with large numbers of people
because, as I keep saying, the vast majority of people want to
remain close to their homes because they want to go home once the
invader has been defeated and driven from their country.
We are looking further at how we can use some of the work we have
done in respect of things such as the Hong Kong BNO route and the
reuse of biometrics and, as I have touched on a couple of times,
at whether under-18s need to submit biometrics at all.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
This Government have some pretty strange priorities: apparently,
they think nothing of overturning national security advice when
it comes to granting a life peerage to the son of an ex-KGB
agent, but they are apparently putting obstacle after obstacle in
front of refugees who are fleeing unspeakable violence in
Ukraine. Will the Minister listen to the voices from all parties
urging him to allow refugees to come here first and then do the
biometrics and other security checks here? Does he understand
that simply to say they are already in safe countries is deeply
insulting? They are traumatised, their families are split up and
they might not have finance; we need to be doing much more,
now.
I certainly would not dismiss the support that is being provided
by the Polish, Hungarian, Romanian and Moldovan authorities. They
are doing an amazing job of welcoming those who are coming
straight over the border. We have on a number of occasions
touched on why we believe it is right that we do basic security
checks before people travel to the United Kingdom, but many of
our other normal requirements are being waived. I do not think
that some of the solutions potentially put forward around doing
security checks here in the UK would necessarily reflect a
warm-hearted approach.
(Stroud) (Con)
As it is International Women’s Day, we are looking at the
experiences of women around the world. I have been asked whether
it is difficult being a pregnant MP; the answer is no. I will
tell the House what is difficult: being a pregnant woman in
Ukraine and children being in a basement where they are being
attacked. Stroud people want to understand what the chuff is
going on. I know that the Minister cares and that the Home Office
cares, but the picture is still confused and causing anxiety.
Will my hon. Friend confirm that he will look at all biometric
options to speed up the process? In particular, will he ensure
that when websites and things say that people will get
information back after 24 hours, the Home Office provides that
information or changes the expectation and deals with it
properly?
As I say, we are certainly keen to look at the position in
respect of biometrics for under-18s. That would make a
significant difference, particularly for family applications.
Some final security advice on that is being considered but we are
keen to move forward shortly. We are looking at some of the
electronic means—as I say, for those who are not familiar with
the BNO visa, if someone has a HKSAR passport that is
biometrically enabled, they can apply from home without a visit
to a visa application centre. We are looking at a range of
options that could speed things up and remove the need to go to a
VAC.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
Germans are waiting in Berlin Central station to offer Ukrainian
refugees their homes and their hearts. The people of Newcastle
Central are no less generous, yet their Government greets
war-traumatised families who have already crossed a continent
with a demand that they go to Brussels or Paris for an
unspecified amount of time, apparently because the Minister
thinks they could be KGB agents. Will he say how long he expects
Ukrainian refugees to wait in Brussels or Paris? What support is
he offering, financially and in terms of transport, so that they
can meet his ridiculous demands?
Ensuring the safety and security of our country is never a
ridiculous demand. As we have already touched on, we will be
opening up a centre in Lille, and we have certainly already
touched on what we are considering in respect of children. We
have an uncapped, unlimited system. Again, our position is very
similar to what some of our core allies are doing.
(York Outer) (Con)
My inbox, like that of many others, has been overwhelmed by
generous offers of support for Ukrainian families. My
constituents are ready and willing to offer help to those in
desperate need. The only barrier to their support seems to be
Home Office bureaucracy. Now is not the time, Minister, for
box-ticking and red tape; now is the time to do everything we
can. No more excuses: we have to move the process forward and we
have to speed it up. I am sorry, Minister, but weeks—weeks—simply
is not good enough. These are women and children. We have to
speed it up. Will he assure me that those kind offers of help
from my constituents and the constituents of Members throughout
the Chamber are not going to be wasted?
Those kind offers will certainly not be wasted. We are moving at
pace to set up our system and to increase the numbers while doing
the basic security checks to keep our people safe.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
This may be down to Home Office incompetence, or this may be
being done for political reasons, and, if it is, may I tell the
Minister that he has misread the country? Like other people in
this place, I have been overwhelmed by constituents offering
their homes and the spaces that they have to refugees from
Ukraine. The local charity, New Beginnings, which has been
operating in Ukraine for many years, is desperate to sponsor
people with no family links coming to the UK from Ukraine. When
will that New Beginnings charity be able to sponsor Ukrainians to
come here? It needs to know that this week.
I do not want to get into political point-scoring on this
particular issue. It is neither seemly nor appropriate to do so.
In terms of the routes, as we say, we place our first priority on
families and relatives, because we appreciate that the vast
majority of relatives will be able to stay with family. We are
working at pace to set up the humanitarian sponsorship visa, but,
obviously, our colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities will be leading on operationalising the
actual sponsorship element of that to ensure that we can give the
warm-hearted welcome that many want to see.
(Colne Valley) (Con)
I am so proud to represent a vibrant Ukrainian community in my
Colne Valley constituency. I am equally proud to have so many
people in my community opening their hearts and ready to open
their homes for these Ukrainian refugees. We have done so much on
sanctions, on humanitarian aid, and on military aid, so why are
we dragging our feet with all this bureaucracy? Will the Minister
not only commit to put extra staff into these visa centres, but
ensure that they are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week? All
the helplines need to be manned 24 hours a day. Can he assure me
that, by the weekend, thousands and thousands more desperate
Ukrainian refugees will be safe here in the UK with their family
and friends?
I hear my hon. Friend’s point. As he said, we are bringing in
more decision makers—people from UK Visas and Immigration who are
experienced in decision making—to ensure that, as soon as a
decision is ready to go, we can get straight on and do it. We are
certainly looking to expand, where we can, the visa application
capacity. Again, we need to make sure that we have enough staff.
We are looking at whether we can backfill that with staff from
the United Kingdom. Again, this is more about staff availability
than the actual physical structure. Sometimes local labour laws
impact on operations, but we do not think that that will be an
issue in this particular instance given the urgency of the case.
Crucially, as I have touched on a couple of times, we should look
at whether we can remove entirely from some cases the need for an
appointment—for example for under-18s—and at whether we can use
the tech that we use for the British national overseas visas.
Many BNO applicants never go near a VAC; they just use our ID
with their passports. Again, that deals with the point about
capacity without the need for any extra appointments.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
Last week, I raised the case of my constituent and his wife who
were advised by the Government helpline to come back from Poland
to Lviv to collect her spousal visa. After my intervention, they
were told to go to the VAC in Warsaw. An hour ago, they emailed
me to say:
“We are just out of the VAC centre in Warsaw and again we have
been told that they don’t print visas and they can’t help us.
This time, according to the worker, their visa vignettes are
printed in the UK and sent to the VACs. Unsurprisingly, the VAC
didn’t know how to help us. They didn’t even have access to the
Ukrainian database. I find it shocking that the Home Office
couldn’t arrange that access over two weeks.”
Can the Minister advise me when my constituent and his wife can
come home safely to Glasgow?
Certainly, no one should be being advised now to go into Ukraine
to get visas or for any other purpose. I am very happy to pick up
the case to see what has happened in this particular instance.
Certainly, a person should be able to collect a visa from any
VAC, but I hear what is being said, I do not doubt it, and I am
happy to pick up on it.
(Ipswich) (Con)
I met with four of my Ukrainian constituents last week. They have
been bowled over by the generosity shown by the people of
Ipswich, particularly by the Polish community. There is actually
a lorry approaching the Ukrainian border today, carrying
£8,000-worth of gifts from the Polish community. I have two
questions. I met with Olena whose family are currently stuck in
Kharkiv. Can I have a quite update on the possibility of a
humanitarian corridor for her family to get out of Kharkiv, not
to Belarus and Russia, but to a safe European country? Secondly,
Viktoria said that if some of the people who are eligible for the
family scheme do not want to take up that option can it be
transferred to somebody else very close to them who might not
strictly qualify for the family route?
Certainly, in terms of the situation on the ground in Kharkiv, we
have to be very careful about how we take President Putin’s
offers of humanitarian corridors, not least because they are
rarely respected and often may well be used as a cover for
breaches of international law that then follow. We need to be
quite careful about the whole concept of humanitarian corridors.
I have already said that travel across Ukraine is extremely
dangerous, and that people should not wait until they have any
form of visa. If they can, they should get into a neighbouring
country and then seek to come to the United Kingdom. Certainly,
with the family route, people can either sponsor the family, or,
see whether there is space available. The wider sponsorship group
will come in if there is someone they know and love in Ukraine,
whom they would like to sponsor, or if there is someone who has
managed to get to a safe bordering country, whom they would like
to sponsor to come here.
(Worsley and Eccles South)
(Lab)
I just want to give an example of a constituent who is trying to
help his niece who has fled from Ukraine, because it backs up all
the things that the Minister is hearing from his own side about
how just completely unsustainable this system is. Last Friday,
they spent the whole day waiting for a form from the United
Kingdom for a visa. Of course with the biometrics, they had to
give a lot of complex information. After they had given all that,
they were then asked for bank details and documentation that the
niece who had fled from Ukraine just did not have with her. It is
now three days since that, and there is no sign of a decision,
which had been promised within 48 hours. My constituent said:
“I simply cannot put into words how angry and desperate we are
becoming because of this shameful situation.”
What is the Minister actually doing to fix that chaos? That is a
live situation and that is actually what is happening.
I can fully appreciate why asking for bank details and the things
that we might normally ask for in the immigration system might be
an entirely unreasonable request to somebody who has escaped
their home in Ukraine with whatever they could carry. I am very
happy to look at that case to see whether our decision makers are
acting appropriately in terms of what they are asking for. I do
not think that it is appropriate, for example, to be asking for
bank details from Ukraine at this time.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. We have to leave that there. We have done eight minutes
more than was allocated for the urgent question. Clearly, with
this crisis ongoing, there will be other opportunities for urgent
questions and statements. More than 20 people were still rising
to speak at the end of the urgent question. We will look to
ensure that they get prioritised in future.
