United Kingdom: Information for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine ENS Focal Point: Jesuit Refugee Service UK Last updated: 25 May 2022 This briefing provides country-specific information for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine. It is intended as a source of information for refugee response actors and affected individuals. The focus is on stateless people and people at risk of statelessness, including those who are undocumented. Links to more general information for refugees from Ukraine are provided throughout. We will endeavour to keep this information updated. Please contact Ukraine.crisis@statelessness.eu if you have relevant updates. Unless otherwise shown, the source of information provided is the ENS Focal Point. 1. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & REGISTRATION Although the UK authorities have expressed support for those arriving in the UK from Ukraine, the immigration rules are complex and restrictive. A visa is needed to enter the UK. The UK has set up the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, which allow people fleeing the war in Ukraine to join their family members in the UK (or their family members) or a person who has offered to sponsor them. The schemes are mostly applicable to Ukrainian nationals. Although some stateless people and people at risk of statelessness may be eligible if they meet the family member criteria for the Ukraine Family Scheme, or if they have evidence of a Ukrainian immediate family member for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, people who lack documentation may face practical difficulties in accessing the scheme. As of 17 May 2022, it was reported that 38,700 visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme and 68,700 under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. The UK Visa Application Centres in Ukraine are closed, applications may be made at a Visa Application Centre in any country where applicants are able to travel safely. Stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness, unless they are eligible to enter through another avenue (e.g. if they are family members of a Ukrainian national who may apply for a scheme or visa) may only enter the UK by applying for asylum. No data has been published on entry and protection granted to stateless persons fleeing Ukraine. Applications for asylum cannot be made from outside the UK, applicants should inform a Border Force Officer on arrival that they wish to claim asylum. For more information on entry and UK border control, see: UK Government, Entering the UK: Overview, Ukraine Advice Project UK and Fragomen, Exiting Ukraine and immigration considerations for the UK. Documents required Entry and registration • • • • • • • Documents issued Entry status • • Stateless persons: no particular documentation required on arrival but entry may be restricted; if available, documents that may evidence the need for international protection, identity and/or the person’s statelessness (see Sections 2 and 3) Other adults and children: passport, visa Individuals may be detained on arrival, although this is unlikely; pregnant women can only be detained for up to 72 hours, unless extended by ministerial approval On arrival at the border, entry is only permitted to people who present a visa or claim asylum No systematic pattern of registration at the border Asylum seekers: apply immediately at the border; screening interview within six months, but may take longer Unaccompanied children: biometric data collected; identification of welfare concerns and risk or indicators of trafficking; notification to local authorities and child protection services; placement depends on age of the child Asylum seekers: issued confirmation letter showing they are on immigration bail; an “ARC card” after screening interview (often delayed by several months) Asylum seeker, visa holder (‘person subject to immigration control')