The Home Office earlier designated Western Ukraine as safe, with a temporary protection scheme nearing expiration
British authorities have increasingly been denying Ukrainian migrants the right to extend their stay in the UK, according to the BBC’s Russian service.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February of 2022, the UK has accepted over 250,000 Ukrainians. However, the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, which provided three-year visas to those fleeing the fighting, was recently closed to new applicants, and existing visas are now beginning to expire.
In an article published on Thursday, the BBC reported that since the beginning of this year, British authorities have been refusing to grant permanent protection status to Ukrainians on a large scale, arguing that the western regions of their home country are safe.
While the Home Office has consistently emphasized that the scheme is temporary, up until recently several options had remained available for Ukrainians wishing to stay in the UK.
According to the outlet, the authorities appear to have tightened the criteria for granting long-term humanitarian protection and work visas to Ukrainians since early 2025.
The BBC quoted a legal counselor as saying that “positive decisions are extremely rare and look more like exceptions,” even in cases involving disabled or chronically ill Ukrainians.
In recent months, several other British media outlets, including The Guardian and The Telegraph, have published reports describing the same apparent trend in refusals.
Across the Channel, several EU member states have also been revising their policies toward Ukrainians. Talk of possible immigrant exit strategies has increased due to a “shifting geopolitical landscape,” Euractiv reported in June.
On Wednesday, German media reported that Labor Minister Barbel Bas had submitted a draft bill, which proposes reducing benefits for Ukrainians, citing financial strain from the continued influx of migrants.
In Poland, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated in March that Poles were growing increasingly frustrated over “hundreds of thousands, or maybe even over a million young Ukrainians driving the best cars around Europe and spending weekends in five-star hotels.”
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