Image source: GB News

Nearly 3,500 non‑Ukrainians used UK Ukraine refugee schemes, data shows

Home Office data shows about 3,464 visas under two Ukraine schemes were granted to non‑Ukrainians from Asia, Africa and beyond — including Russians, Nigerians and Afghans — prompting criticism and a Home Office defence that eligibility is limited to family groups.

Close to 3,500 people from non‑Ukrainian countries used the Ukraine 2022 resettlement schemes intended for Ukrainians, according to reporting that examined Home Office data and scheme records (the article gives country breakdowns).

Many of those arrivals entered via the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship programme, which allows Ukrainians to be hosted in the UK and permits immediate family members to apply at the same time, creating a route for some non‑Ukrainian relatives (the Home Office sets the eligibility rules).

The Home Office says the Ukraine schemes are temporary and primarily for Ukrainian nationals and that third‑country nationals are eligible only when applying as part of an immediate family group including a Ukrainian; the article quotes the department’s statement to that effect.

The report highlights that people described as asylum seekers from a wide range of countries — including Russia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, India and a small number from South America — were recorded as arriving under the Ukraine routes, and political figures criticised the outcomes described.

What position do you feel closer to?

Ukraine Scheme Restrictionists

Letting thousands of non‑Ukrainians use Ukraine routes quietly bends a narrow war‑response into a backdoor migration channel and erodes trust in the schemes.

Family‑Unity Defenders

Allowing a limited number of non‑Ukrainian close relatives to join Ukrainian families under the schemes is the right, humane choice and should be protected, not attacked.

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