The United Kingdom has received as many as 302,100 visa applications from Ukrainian refugees since the start of Russia's special military operation, with 234,600 Ukrainians having already received their documents, the UK government said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2023) The United Kingdom has received as many as 302,100 visa applications from Ukrainian refugees since the start of Russia's special military operation, with 234,600 Ukrainians having already received their documents, the UK government said on Thursday.
Of these, 69,300 Ukrainians have received visas as family members of British residents and 165,300 others have received their documents under the visa regime with a sponsor, the government said in a statement.
As of July 11, 180,600 holders of British visas from Ukraine had arrived in the United Kingdom, and 26,700 others received permission to extend their stay in the UK, the statement read.
The UK has eased the visa regime for Ukrainians amid Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. Visas under the family scheme for Ukrainian refugees are free. They are issued for three years and allow Ukrainians to live in the country, work, study and also provide refugees with access to state funds. Such documents can be obtained by those who have relatives in the UK.
Moreover, in March 2022, the UK government launched the Homes for Ukraine initiative, which allowed local authorities, individuals or charities to provide temporary and free housing to refugees from Ukraine and "receive a monthly 350 Pounds ($457) thank-you payment during guests' first 12 months, rising to 500 pounds a month during the following 12 months."
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, forcing millions of Ukrainians to seek refuge in other states. The United Nations says that nearly 6.302 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded globally, with 5.949 million recorded in Europe alone.
