Minister for Migration and Citizenship says the Government is currently working on the details of a further extension
Seema Malhotra, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, confirmed yesterday in a parliamentary debate that leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, launched on 4 February 2025, will be extended beyond its initial 18 months.
Image credit: WikipediaIn a debate in the House of Commons on Government support for Ukrainians, the Minister told MPs: "Members have asked about any further extensions to the Ukraine permission extension scheme, which we introduced in February to provide an additional 18 months of permission to stay in the UK, with continued access to work, benefits, healthcare and education, as the Prime Minister referred to in Prime Minister's questions last week. However, I confirm to the House that we will be extending the leave beyond 18 months. We are still working on the detail of that and will update the House as soon as possible. That is important. I understand the comments, questions and challenges and the need to provide certainty, particularly in relation to education, which was also very much on the Home Secretary's mind."
Malhotra added that the Government is working on the details of the extension with the Ukrainian embassy and other stakeholders across the UK. She noted that it was important to strike a balance between the UK's responsibilities to those on the schemes and to Ukrainian citizens more broadly, while also working closely with the Ukrainian Government to respect their wishes.
The Minister said the UK Government would "continue to do right by the Ukrainian people", noting that the Ukrainian schemes have so far offered or extended sanctuary to more than 300,000 Ukrainians and their families.
Lib Dem MP Martin Wrigley, who secured the debate, welcomed the Minister's announcement. Wrigley had earlier noted in the debate: "Ukrainians are scared of what happens next, and we have no answer for them. … I believe that we should be looking for a permanent solution and a permanent answer for the Ukrainians, and that is why I asked the Prime Minister about it last week. His answer was more positive than before, and he even appeared to say that another 18 months would be added. I ask the Minister to clarify that statement."
Wrigley continued: "We need the Government to review the short-term nature of the Ukraine permission extension scheme urgently. Without urgent changes, we are at serious risk of putting thousands of Ukrainians — children as well as parents — into homelessness or worse, as the terms of their visas will be too short for them to carry on. We owe them much better treatment than we are currently giving them."
Labour's Douglas McAllister told MPs that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme's 18-month stay was too short and it failed to provide the stability and security that the Ukrainian families in his constituency desperately needed.