Today’s announcement is welcome if it helps people reach safety faster.
But it’s important to note that people from Ukraine still need to complete a visa application process before they can travel to the UK.
The fact is, there is simply no time to apply for visas when you are fleeing a war zone.
We do not understand why the UK Government continues to drag its feet in the midst of such urgent and obvious suffering. Ireland brought in a full visa waiver scheme days ago, and 27 EU countries have pledged to offer three years temporary protection to people fleeing Ukraine – with no visas required. The UK continues to lag behind as an international outlier in its sluggish and meagre response.
There are people caught up in this conflict who do not have a Ukrainian passport. Other may be struggling for digital access. All will no doubt but living with extreme trauma and under impossibly difficult circumstances. Narrow bureaucratic schemes like the UK’s often fail to offer comprehensive safety to the range of people affected by war. The UK Government must respect the UN Refugee Convention and offer safety to people of all nationalities who are forced to flee.
This government is still pushing through its Nationality & Borders Bill, the anti-refugee bill – a bill which would mean that a person fleeing this conflict who is not eligible for a visa waiver, or someone from Afghanistan or any other conflict across the world who reaches the UK off their own back would be criminalised just for the act of seeking asylum.
This crisis has made the cruelty of this bill all too clear to see. The House of Lords have voted over the past two weeks to remove many of this bill’s most harmful clauses. MPs must now follow suit when the bill returns to the Commons and significantly amend this law, legislation which is totally unfit to meet the moral and practical needs of today’s unstable world.
We know that Scotland wants to offer a warm welcome to people fleeing this conflict and we stand ready to work with our communities and the Scottish Government to help deliver this welcome.
More help and information:
Homes For Ukraine – Scotland update
New online help sessions for people affected by the Ukraine conflict
Information for people in Scotland affected by the crisis in Ukraine
Support our work with refugees in Scotland. Donate today.
