UK Edition
Ukrainians coming to Britain under ‘rooms-for-refugees’ scheme to get full welfare benefits
Tens of thousands of people with no family links may also be allowed to remain in the UK for 36 months
Ukrainians coming to Britain under the “rooms-for-refugees” programme are set to get full access to UK welfare benefits under moves being discussed by ministers.
They may also be granted leave to remain for 36 months under a “humanitarian sponsorship” visa, under which the public will be asked to offer them homes. It had previously been suggested they would only have a right to remain for an initial 12-month period.
The scheme will see tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have no family links to the UK matched with individuals, charities, businesses and community groups who will provide accommodation and potentially jobs.
The changes would put the sponsored Ukrainians on a par with refugees on the family visa scheme who have relatives in the UK and are entitled to remain in the UK for 36 months, have access to benefits on the same terms as UK nationals and can work.
The sponsored route will be launched on Monday by Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, with a hotline and gov.uk webpage where the public will be able to offer rooms to refugees. They will be expected to provide accommodation for at least six months, undergo vetting to ensure the rooms are of the appropriate standard and if necessary face criminal record checks through the Government's disclosure and barring service (DBS).
There will be no cap on numbers, but ministers are expected to set a target of “tens of thousands.” More than 4,600 individuals, businesses, community groups or churches have so far offered rooms through Sanctuary Foundation, a platform set up in anticipation of the Government scheme.
The scheme was still being finalised on Friday amid concerns over the scale and costs within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Treasury.
But one government source said: “The understanding at the moment is they would get the same benefits [as those on the family scheme] but no final decision has been taken.”
Another source added: “I can't see a reason why they wouldn't have the same terms.”
The moves follow a week of criticism of the Home Office’s “chaotic” roll-out of its visas for refugees with family in the UK that has led to delays and complaints of excessive bureaucracy and form filling.
It brings the UK closer to the EU approach, which allows in Ukrainians for three years although, unlike Britain, they do not require visas.
Emmanuel Macron takes credit for new UK stance
Emmanuel Macron on Friday claimed credit for softening up Britain's stance on Ukrainian refugees, as he urged Priti Patel to bin more cumbersome border red tape.
The French President said stinging criticism from Paris was behind Home Office U-turns on visa requirements but insisted "much remains to be done".
In an extraordinarily undiplomatic swipe he accused the UK of failing to treat people fleeing the war properly, adding they deserved to be greeted with more dignity.
He even offered help to set up more visa processing centres and ease the burden on swamped officials in Lille and Brussels.
Gerald Darmanin, Priti Patel’s French counterpart, wrote to her on Sunday saying the UK's approach demonstrated a “lack of humanity” towards those “in distress”.
Four days later the Home Secretary eased border rules so Ukrainians can apply for entry to the UK online and only need to provide biometric data after arrival.
Asked about the change at a press conference after an EU leaders’ summit in Versailles, he said: "It’s a glimmer of pragmatism. It’s going in the right direction, although much remains to be done. I think the French interior minister's letter was probably a useful one.
"I’d like to thank the UK Government for this first step, and it’s over the coming days that we’ll be able to see whether it’s enough or whether more effective measures are going to be required.
"And I’d hope the Ukrainian men and women who have lived through horrors, who have crossed Europe to reach their families on UK territory, will be better treated."
Schools prepare to take Ukrainian children
Britain is preparing for schools to take as many as 100,000 Ukrainian refugee children in areas with high expat populations.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, has ordered officials to map school places in the expat areas to establish if they have enough spare capacity to take the potential influx of 100,000 children or will require surge funding to pay for extra classrooms.
Ministers have projected 200,000 Ukrainians could come to the UK through the family scheme for those with relatives in the UK or a sponsorship route for Ukrainians with no family ties, which is due to be launched on Monday. They believe half the 200,000 could be children.
The UN estimated on Thursday that 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees had fled the advancing Russian army, an increase of 300,000 in little over a day. Western officials are forecasting that it could reach four million in the coming days.
"What you are seeing now is a surge in our capability to take more Ukrainians,” said Mr Zahawi. "I can tell you in my own department in education, I have a team that's already making plans for a capacity of 100,000 children that we will take into our schools.
"The family reunion route will be a couple of hundred thousand people coming through and then the humanitarian route which Michael Gove will outline in the next few days, will be uncapped."