The Home Secretary has today updated the House of Commons on the way in which Ukrainian people wishing to travel to the UK can get permission to come here. Further information has also been published about the sanctions being taken against Russian following its invasion of Ukraine.
•We are streamlining the Ukraine Family Scheme so that Ukrainians with passports can get permission to come here online, speeding up the application process. As of Tuesday 15 March,Ukrainians with passports coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme can apply online–speeding up the application process and making sure they can get to safety quickly. You can read the Home Secretary's statement here
•We are sanctioning seven oligarchs worth £15 billion, making clear that there will be no safe haven for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.We are sanctioning seven oligarchs with a collective net worth of around £15 billion–freezing their assets, banning them from travelling here and barring any UK citizen or company from doing business with them. More here
•We are allowing Ukrainians with passports to give their biometrics once in Britain, keeping the British people safe.Allowing Ukrainians with passports to give their biometrics once in Britain means we can continue to conduct vital security checks–preventing a small minority who seek to harm the UK from doing so–while alleviating pressure on Visa Application Centres across Europe.
•We are increasing capacity and alleviating pressure on Visa Application Centres, making sure that as many Ukrainians as possible can be processed quickly.Allowing Ukrainians with passports to submit applications online will alleviate pressure on Visa Application Centres so they can focus on helping those without passports.We have also increased the capacity at these Centres to 13,000 appointments per week.
•The Foreign Secretary is undertaking an intensive round of diplomatic talks in the United States,strengthening joint action to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. The Foreign Secretary is visiting the United States–she met Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other senior officials yesterday to discuss what more we can do support the Ukrainian people together,and will today deliver a speech setting out our vision on the future of the transatlantic relationship
