Britain’s Ukrainian refugee hosting scheme dismissed as ‘gimmick’

The British government has bowed to domestic and international pressure to admit Ukrainian refugees who do not have an immediate family member already settled in the country. But a new scheme allowing members of the public to host refugees in their homes requires them to name the individuals they are sponsoring and to agree to house them for at least six months.

Housing secretary Michael Gove said Britain has granted visas to just over 3,000 Ukrainians under the family reunion scheme and he predicted that the new mechanism could see tens of thousands more arriving.

“We want to make sure that every available bed that we have in this country that can be made available, every available home that can be made available, to those who are fleeing persecution, is mobilised, and we know that there is a large number of people in this country, generous-hearted and in a position to provide homes – and businesses and charities as well,” he said.

The government will pay families who host a refugee £350 a month and will give local councils £10,000 for every person hosted, to cover the extra cost on local services including schools. But refugee charities and opposition parties complained that the new scheme is too restrictive and that it does not provide for host families to be vetted.

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Lack of generosity

Robina Qureshi, director of refugee homelessness charity Positive Action in Housing, dismissed the scheme as a gimmick designed to conceal the government’s lack of generosity towards refugees.

“Britain is not planning on taking its fair share of refugees, even though there is public support for taking in Ukrainian refugees,” she said.

"The families who host refugees don't do it for money, they are helping because they see a government that is heartless and won't lift visa restrictions. The number of houses is not the problem and this is a gimmick – just another distraction from the fact that the UK is still the only country in Europe that hasn't lifted visa restrictions and there are still no safe routes here for Ukrainian war refugees."

‘Super-sponsors’

The first ministers of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, have written to Mr Gove to say they wanted to maximise their countries' contribution by acting as "super-sponsors" for refugees. They called on the government to follow the European Union's lead by waiving all visa requirements for Ukrainians, but Ms Sturgeon said they would try to exploit the new scheme to offer shelter to as many refugees as possible.

“If the UK government is still unwilling to waive visa requirements, it is essential that this scheme works efficiently and effectively and allows people to come to the UK as quickly as possible. However, I am very worried that if people have to be matched with an individual sponsor before even being allowed entry to the UK, it will prove slow and cumbersome,” she said.

“That is why the first minister of Wales and I have made the ‘super-sponsor’ proposal. We are proposing that our governments act as initial ‘super-sponsors’ to allow large numbers to come to our respective nations quickly.”