‘No clear way’ for Ukrainian refugees to link up with UK hosts under sponsorship scheme as confusion continues

Warnings ‘only a trickle’ of Ukrainians will benefit from scheme amid confusion over ‘matching’ process

People who fled the war in Ukraine wait at the train station in Przemysl, southeastern Poland, 17 March 2022 (AP)

Fears have been raised that there is no clear route for Ukrainian refugees to apply to come to Britain under its new sponsorship scheme.

On the day that the scheme launched, charities have said that the number of refugees who will be granted sanctuary in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be only a “trickle”, despite the fact that more than 150,000 people in Britain have registered to host them, because of the confusion around how they can be “matched” with hosts.

It is unclear what action the government is taking to communicate information about the scheme to refugees stranded in Europe. The Independent revealed earlier this week that Ukrainians in Poland hoping to seek refuge in the UK had “no idea” how to go about it.

The government said that when it launches “phase two” of the scheme – it is not yet known when this will be – it will work more closely with charities to identify Ukrainians in need of protection in the UK.

Ministers launched the Ukraine sponsorship scheme on Friday, with the webpage stating that Ukrainian nationals and their family members may apply to come to the UK if they have a “named sponsor”.

The scheme, announced on Monday by the secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove, will allow Ukrainians with no family links to come to the UK and be hosted by members of the public, who will be paid £350 per month for sharing their homes.

The government is yet to release data on the number of refugees who have applied to the scheme, but lawyers and charities warn that the figure is likely to be moderately low due to the lack of information on how refugees can connect with suitable sponsors.

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Jenni Regan, chief executive at iMix, which represents refugee and asylum charities in the UK, said that while the sector “welcomed” the speed at which the scheme had been implemented, there were “concerns about just how many people from Ukraine this is actually going to help at this stage”.

“Currently, hosts need to have the name and details of the person they wish to sponsor before they can even apply, and there is no clear way of linking up with people seeking sanctuary from Ukraine,” she said.

“The government have made it clear that they are not in a position to support the matching process, instead relying on charities [as well as] faith and community groups to provide outreach and matching opportunities.”

Announcing the scheme, Mr Gove said he hoped individuals and community groups would be able to “match” with refugees using social media, adding that charities would help with the process.

But Ms Regan raised concerns about this, saying that it would only benefit those who are “digitally savvy”, and adding: “This method is also concerning in terms of safeguarding on both sides.”

Robina Qureshi, executive officer at Positive Action in Housing, a charity that has been matching refugees and asylum seekers with hosts in the UK for decades, said it had so far been contacted by 16,000 people offering to host Ukrainians, and just 160 Ukrainian refugees.

“What the government has is a spreadsheet with names on it of people expressing an interest. That register is going to go nowhere. Only a trickle of people will ever see a Ukrainian refugee,” she said.

“Heartbreakingly, the people whose lives depend on that visa and that hosting programme are struggling and waiting. For all the goodwill that there is in the UK, the people whose lives depend on this process are not in the country.”

Immigration lawyer Simon Cox, who is supporting a number of Ukrainians with applications to come to the UK, said it was “clear” that the programme “hadn’t been thought through”.

“There’s certainly a role for the voluntary sector in the matching process, but it does need to be supervised by the government to ensure that those matches take place and are safe,” he said.

“[The scheme] may have seemed like a great idea in turning down the political heat, but it’s actually a huge operation. The government wants to go out and say they’re doing something so the public move on and think about something else.”

The government has said it will be working closely with charities, faith groups, universities and others to ensure people who want to help are matched to people from Ukraine.

It advises on its website that if someone wishing to host does not currently know a Ukrainian refugee, they “may wish to get in touch with charities, faith groups or local community organisations who are starting to make connections between individuals”.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Friday that the country had opened its “super-sponsor” scheme, meaning Ukrainian refugees can apply via the UK sponsorship scheme by selecting “Scottish government” on the application.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.