Украинские беженцы в Великобритании: угроза потери работы и жилья из-за неопределенности с визами

Ukrainian refugees who have found temporary shelter in Great Britain are faced with a new challenge – the uncertainty regarding the extension of their visas threatens them with the loss of jobs and housing. This is reported The Guardian.Due to delays in the Home Office procedure, many will find themselves in a legal vacuum: they will not be able to prove their right to live and work in the country for up to eight weeks.

Some landlords are already refusing Ukrainians to renew leases, and employers are demanding official confirmation of visa status, fearing fines. Officials explain that the vast majority of refugees will receive a 3C residence permit, which allows them to stay in the country until a decision is made. However, experts emphasize that many Ukrainians lose stability and means of livelihood without being able to confirm their status during this period.

Chaos with visas: what is happening

The government opens the window for submitting applications for visa extensions from February 4 to June, because it is during this period in 2022 that most Ukrainians arrived in the country. However, activists fear that the system will not cope with tens of thousands of applications, and delays will create large-scale problems.

«This non-automatic scheme causes many difficulties. Now we are dealing with anxious families, mostly women with children, who came to escape the war, and now have to fight again for security.» — says Simona Shechtman, coordinator of the Birmingham for Ukraine group.

According to her, the automatic extension of visas in the EU countries is already planned for the spring of 2025, which will greatly simplify the situation for refugees.

Bureaucracy and panic among Ukrainians

A number of activists draw attention to the fact that the renewal forms themselves are difficult to fill out, especially for those who do not speak English perfectly. Warnings that applications outside the 28-day window will be rejected only increase panic among Ukrainians.

According to Petro Revek, chairman of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the delay in launching the scheme caused a wave of misinformation and rumours, and fraudsters began to take advantage of the situation, offering accelerated visa extensions for thousands of pounds.

Loss of job, housing and legal status

Some Ukrainian refugees are already facing hopeless situations.

Olga Meglinska, who runs the Brama Trust, which helps Ukrainians in Soligall, says that because of the uncertainty with visas, people are becoming homeless.

«Refugees face a lot of stress. The war caused a lot of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the UK helped to heal those wounds. But now it’s all coming back — with the fear of losing a roof over your head and losing your job.» — she explains.

Mila, a Ukrainian from Kharkiv, cannot find a new home because her landlord is selling the apartment.

«I don’t want to be in a situation where my children are sleeping on the floor again. It was a scary time for us.» she says.

Nataliya Kogut, who came from Kyiv in 2022, cannot extend the lease because the landlord requires confirmation of her status one year in advance.

«I spent months looking for this apartment, and now I have to leave it because of bureaucratic confusion.» — she is indignant.

Problems with employment

Refugees working in the UK also risk losing up to two months of income.

Pedram Panbehci, an engineer who arrived from Kyiv, says the company where he and his wife work will suspend their employment until their visa status is confirmed. This can leave them without a means of livelihood and they even consider moving to another country.

«I submitted over a thousand CVs to find a job. But even now my wife and I are thinking of leaving the UK. We have too many problems here.» he says.

Many Ukrainians face the fact that their experience and qualifications are not recognized. Most were only able to find work through contacts among local families, according to a study by King’s University Belfast.

Daria Petrakovska, an HR consultant, complains that she is offered only unqualified positions because she does not have connections in Great Britain that helped her in Kyiv. «It’s very demotivating,» — she admits.

What does the government say?

The British government assures that it is doing everything possible to ensure the legal status of Ukrainian refugees.

«We have provided shelter to more than 300,000 Ukrainians and their families. We are aware of the importance of stability and security for them.» — said the spokesman of the government.

He added that the visa extension scheme allows Ukrainians to apply for an additional 18 months of stay. However, the authorities did not provide any specifics on how to solve the problems with the loss of work and housing.

Therefore, the situation with the extension of visas for Ukrainian refugees in Great Britain is causing chaos and panic. Delays in the process lead to loss of housing, jobs and legal uncertainty.

Despite the fact that the majority of Ukrainians will receive permission for further stay, the system they were counting on turned out to be imperfect. This puts not only their lives in the UK at risk, but also the country’s credibility as a safe haven for refugees.