In response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK Government established three Ukraine visa schemes to provide temporary sanctuary to displaced Ukrainians and their families. Those granted under the schemes have the right to work, rent or study and access to benefits and services for the full duration of their permission.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme is due to open for applications in advance of the expiry of the first Ukraine scheme visas in early 2025, providing the same rights and access to benefits and services that individuals on the existing Ukraine schemes have.

The Ministry of Defence’s priority remains the relocation of ARAP-eligible Afghans to the safety of third countries at best pace. His Majesty’s Government continue to accommodate and support ARAP-eligible people in third countries while they await relocation to the United Kingdom.

It seems that my initial reply might have been quite useful, but the hon. Gentleman may not have heard or understood it. ARAP is not explicitly for those who served in the Afghan armed forces alongside the British military; it is for those who served in the employ of the British military in all but a very narrow number of cases. I will write to him on his precise question about Afghan service personnel who are now homeless in the UK—I suspect that they are remarkably few—but Afghan service personnel are not the main target of ARAP. As someone who served in Afghanistan, I share the sense of many of my former colleagues who would have liked to have done more, but that is simply never what ARAP was designed to do. Neither is it credible that the hundreds of thousands of people who served in the Afghan national forces could all be relocated to the UK.

Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. This includes through the provision of online distance learning for students enrolled at Ukrainian universities who now live in another country, including in the UK. The department encourages students to speak with their education provider in Ukraine to understand what support is available for them to continue their studies at their Ukrainian provider. This includes those studying through the UK twinning programme which the government announced funding to support in June 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-package-offers-a-lifeline-to-ukrainian-researchers-and-entrepreneurs. The programme provides support to Ukrainian universities by establishing partnerships with those in the UK.

Student finance is available only for eligible students studying a course provided predominantly in the UK by a UK higher education provider, including Ukrainian students who have enrolled at UK universities. In England, those studying via distance learning are, in general, not eligible to receive student loans to cover maintenance costs. This is also the case for Ukrainian students in England, who are studying via distance learning.

Further information on support for Ukrainian students continuing courses online from the UK, including eligibility for Universal Credit can be found here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/support-for-students-from-ukraine-in-uk-higher-education/.

Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. This includes through the provision of online distance learning for students enrolled at Ukrainian universities who now live in another country, including in the UK. The department encourages students to speak with their education provider in Ukraine to understand what support is available for them to continue their studies at their Ukrainian provider. This includes those studying through the UK twinning programme which the government announced funding to support in June 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-package-offers-a-lifeline-to-ukrainian-researchers-and-entrepreneurs. The programme provides support to Ukrainian universities by establishing partnerships with those in the UK.

Student finance is available only for eligible students studying a course provided predominantly in the UK by a UK higher education provider, including Ukrainian students who have enrolled at UK universities. In England, those studying via distance learning are, in general, not eligible to receive student loans to cover maintenance costs. This is also the case for Ukrainian students in England, who are studying via distance learning.

Further information on support for Ukrainian students continuing courses online from the UK, including eligibility for Universal Credit can be found here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/support-for-students-from-ukraine-in-uk-higher-education/.

The core objective of Universal Credit is to support claimants to enter work, earn more or prepare for work in the future, therefore full time students are not usually eligible to claim Universal Credit. There are some exceptions where students may be eligible for Universal Credit such as where they are responsible for a child or are enrolled on a part time course and are seeking employment. Whilst the Department for Work and Pensions has provided immediate access to Universal Credit and jobs support for those arriving in the UK from Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, individuals must still meet the eligibility criteria, in order to receive Universal Credit and other Social Security benefits.

There are no plans to expand the criteria under the existing pathways of the
the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement to the UK through one of three referral pathways, which is a fair and equitable way to identify those in need.

Under Pathway 3, in the first year, places will be offered to eligible at-risk British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors, and Chevening alumni in Afghanistan or the region.

Beyond the first year of Pathway 3, we will continue to work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. Further detail will be set out in due course.

Definitions for these eligibility criteria can be found at: Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3: eligibility for British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening Alumni - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system. We actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to Ukraine.

The Home Office is continually making efforts to simplify the application process for Ukrainian refugees and keeps this under regular review.

UKVI has redeployed caseworking staff in the UK to work seven days a week to process Ukraine applications, and has temporarily loaned in staff from other departments like HM Revenue and Customs to help manage demand.

COVID-19 vaccinations are offered to every eligible individual living in the United Kingdom free of charge, regardless of immigration status. This includes those who arrived as refugees from Ukraine. We are sharing accessible guides and health publications on COVID-19 vaccinations which have been translated into Ukrainian. Additionally, over £23 million has been provided to sixty councils and voluntary groups in areas of low vaccine uptake in England.

A COVID-19 Migrant Health Guide was also published to provide advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the needs of migrant patients during the pandemic, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-migrant-health-guide

The Home Office is currently prioritising applications made under its Ukraine Schemes, in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine. As a result, customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some delays in the processing of their application.

We have also suspended a number of Paid for Priority and Super Priority services so staff working on these could be reallocated to other work, including our Ukraine Schemes.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all refugees in the UK have access to English language courses. For refugees resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme the Government has provided additional funding which can be accessed by local authorities for these refugees only. Those who make their own way to the UK to claim asylum and are granted refugee status have access to English language courses without having to meet the normal qualifying requirement of three years ordinary residence. For refugees receiving work related benefits courses are free.