UK will pay 420 euros a month to citizens who host Ukrainian refugees

The British Government announced this Sunday an initiative so that citizens, companies or charities can bring Ukrainians to the United Kingdomin exchange for which individuals will receive a “thank you” payment of 350 pounds (about 420) per month.

The Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Michael Goverevealed the plan, which will be detailed next week, in an interview with the BBC, in which He announced that it is also being studied whether it would be possible to house some of these people in the empty residences of Russian oligarchs subject to sanctions.

Under the new “sponsorship” program, the British will be able to nominate a Ukrainian person or family to stay with them, or in their other property, for a minimum of six months.

These patrons are not required to know their visitors in advance and can find them “on social media,” Gove said.

According to the minister, there will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who, subject to a visa, will be able to come to the United Kingdom in this way and they will be given “a three-year residence permit, with the right to work and access public services.”

Applications would be made online, through a website that will launch on Monday, and both hosts and immigrants would be subject to certain security checks, the conservative politician said. First, it will start with individuals and later with NGOs or religious entities.

Until now, the UK has only taken in Ukrainians who have relatives here through its family reunification programme, a highly criticized process since, so far, it has only allowed the arrival of 3,000 people, out of 2.5 million who have left Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

The director of the Refugee Council -a non-profit entity that supports asylum seekers-, Enver Solomon, believed that the plan announced today presents bureaucratic problems and lacks sufficient support measures.

“We are concerned that people from Ukraine are not (officially) recognized as refugees (which would give them more rights) and are asked to apply for visas, when what they need is to be offered protection”has declared.

Solomon anticipated that the sponsorship system sponsored by the Conservative government will exclude many people who cannot contact British people and in any case will entail a “long and complex” visa processing process.

The expert also doubted that the necessary measures exist to support both the host families and the people who arrive.

“We are talking about very traumatized women and children, whose experiences are unique, and the level of support must be up to par”he claimed.

The Scottish and Welsh governments have called for visa requirements to be lifted and have offered to quickly take in Ukrainians until another longer-term home is found for them.

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