Until this announcement, to enter the UK biometric appointments were still required at various cities across Europe. Some media outlets were reporting that appointments were being offered to refugees at the end of April. Large numbers of Ukrainian refugees had also arrived in Calais to be told they could not apply for a visa and subsequently sent to other cities to await biometric appointments.
From Tuesday 15 March 2022, Ukrainians with passports will be able to get permission to come to the UK solely through the online form. They will then be able to provide biometrics when here. We would hope that this means that visa application centres across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports.
Further updates
The Ukrainian Family Scheme visa is open for Ukrainians applying from abroad. However, the Home Office has stated they intend to open the scheme to those currently in the UK on other visa routes. No time frame for implementation has been provided at this stage.
No further information has been provided regarding the Ukrainian Sponsorship scheme for those without a connection to the UK. We will provide an update on this when guidance becomes available.
Anyone seeking free advice can contact the Ukraine Advice Project UK, which we are supporting. It connects people affected by the war with free legal advice on UK Visas and Immigration. (The project is also on Twitter).
