Ukraine war: People can welcome refugees into own homes – PM

Boris Johnson has defended the UK’s response to the refugee crisis, saying an upcoming scheme will allow Brits to take Ukrainians into their homes.

He told Sky News the UK will be “generous” to those fleeing Ukraine and details of a second visa scheme would be announced on Monday.

The Prime Minister defended the current visa rules, saying: “People want us to be generous but also careful.”

Britain has been criticized for taking in only about 1,000 refugees so far.

Unlike the European Union, which allows Ukrainians a three-year visa-free stay, the UK has retained entry controls. Poland has already taken in 1.4 million refugees.

There are two main routes for Ukrainian war refugees to obtain visas to enter the UK. The first requires them to have family in the UK. The second, which has yet to be set up, will allow Ukrainians to come to the UK if they have a sponsor for their application by an individual or organization.

Speaking on Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme, Mr Johnson said “historically and by nature” Britain is “a very generous, open and welcoming people”.

Defending the need to verify biometrics – like fingerprints – he said: “People want us to be generous but also careful,” adding that security measures are “easy” and “given the attitude of the Putin regime towards Britain.” be reasonable”. .

He said this is also the “best thing for refugees because they want a safe, welcoming and working system”.

When asked why the checks were needed for children – who are estimated to make up about half of the two million refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine – he said those requirements don’t apply to younger people.

But Mr Johnson pressed that only 1,000 family visas have been issued so far and said it would “go up very sharply”.

He added that Minister for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove would announce details of a second visa scheme on Monday, which he said would mean “if people want to be welcome [them] into their own homes, they can do this”.

It comes after an earlier announcement by Home Secretary Priti Patel that Ukrainian refugees with passports or ID cards will be able to apply for UK visas online from Tuesday.

The move – which Ms Patel said was approved by security services – would only apply to people applying under the family scheme and to those with passports.

Ms Patel said those applying online could provide their biometrics once in the UK and visa application centers could focus on those without a passport.

This was also confirmed by the Foreign Office on Thursday that all Ukrainian staff working for the British Embassy and British Council in Ukraine and their families can also come to the UK.

Ms Patel said the digital online visa system would still allow “key checks” to be carried out.

On the issue of security, Ms Patel said the 2018 Salisbury poisonings showed what Russian President Vladimir Putin was “ready to do on our soil” and showed that “a small number of people with ill intentions are creating havoc can do to our streets”. .

The speed of Britain’s response to taking in Ukrainian refugees has been criticized, with Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper calling it a “total disgrace”.

Ms Cooper questioned why it had been necessary “to be dragged into the House of Commons to make fundamental changes to help vulnerable people fleeing Ukraine”.

She also asked why there had been a delay, even though the interior minister “had had information for weeks, if not months, that she had to prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

The refugee crisis has escalated rapidly in recent days as Russia stepped up bombing of civilian areas in cities.

On Wednesday, an airstrike hit a maternity and children’s ward at a hospital in the southern city of Mariupol.