The public wants a generous approach to welcoming Ukrainian refugees – the government must think again

Editorial: UK ministers trumpet that there is ‘no cap’ on the number of Ukrainian refugees they will allow to enter the country but the bureaucratic system amounts to a cap, in effect, by limiting the numbers

Another managed migration scheme does not measure up to the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War (Reuters)

Andrii Zharikov, a Ukrainian who is a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth’s law faculty, has abandoned his plan to bring his sister and mother to the UK, having been defeated by red tape. Although the government allows Ukrainians to bring family members here, it does not apply to people like Mr Zharikov, who has a work visa – even though Sajid Javid, the health secretary, claimed this week that it did.

Home Office guidance says family members can apply to join a UK-based relative, but only if the relative is a British national, has some form of settled status in the UK, has pre-settled status from an EU country or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, or is entitled to refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK. The government should think again about those with work visas.

“I was appalled by the way it has been presented, with the government saying it has an open-door policy, but the scope is very, very limited,” said Mr Zharikov. “I am very grateful for the EU approach, and I know my family will stay in the EU because of this and they are better off there, and I will do my best to look after them by sending money.”