Thousands of Asian, African and Middle Eastern migrants have come to Britain under the Government’s Ukrainian free visa scheme, The Telegraph can reveal.
Nearly 3,500 visas have been granted to migrants from 112 countries – including Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iraq, Iran, India and the Palestinian territories – under the two schemes offering sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
They were eligible as family members of Ukrainians in the schemes, which allowed applicants to come to the UK either because they had family in Britain or had been offered accommodation by Britons under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship programme.
The schemes were set up by the previous government, but have continued under Labour as the war between Russia and Ukraine drags into its fifth year.
The 3,464 visas for non-Ukrainians represent one in every 80 of the 279,223 granted under the schemes, according to Home Office data analysed by The Telegraph.
Russians account for the biggest number of non-Ukrainian nationals to have come to the UK under the visa scheme, at 588. They are followed by Nigerians (408), Afghans (294), Iraqis (161), Moldovans (152), Turks (149), Indians (124), Belarusians (107), Iranians (107) and Egyptians (106).
Migrants coming to Britain under Ukraine visas have also included Ghanaians (81), Syrians (65), Libyans (34), Palestinians (27), Vietnamese (18), Yemenis (17), Chileans (seven) and Argentines (three).
It follows a separate case, revealed by The Telegraph last year, in which a family of Palestinians fleeing the Gaza war won an immigration court ruling allowing them to come to Britain through the Ukrainian refugee scheme.
The family argued that their circumstances were so exceptional they should be allowed to enter the UK and live with the father’s brother under the scheme because there was no other way for them to get refuge in the UK.
The ruling was overturned by Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, on appeal.
The latest disclosures prompted a political backlash. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Government should not be allowing non-Ukrainians into the UK under the Ukrainian visa scheme. It is supposed to be for Ukrainians, not Afghans and Iraqis.
“The recent court case is also disgraceful. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was abused by a judge to allow the Ukrainian scheme to be twisted into a route for Palestinians to come to the UK.In that case, the Palestinians concerned were in fact in Egypt, so not even at any risk.
“This is further evidence that we need to leave the ECHR, which is what will happen if we have a Conservative government and I become home secretary.”
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s Home Office spokesman, said: “It is astonishing that Tory and Labour betrayal means the Ukraine refugee scheme has been used to import Afghans, Russians, Nigerians and Iraqis. Britain has totally lost control of its borders. Reform will end this madness and deport all those here illegally.”
Alp Mehmet, chairman of the Migration Watch UK think tank, said: “The number may be small, but the fact that anyone from a safe third country qualified at all shows how open the system has become. Aided by indulgent court interpretations of the ECHR, it is now wide open to exploitation and abuse.
“Millions of people from conflict areas around the world are now able to claim asylum in the UK on human rights grounds, and I have little doubt that a great many will.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme is primarily for Ukrainian nationals. Third country nationals can only be eligible if they apply as part of a family group which must include an immediate family member who is a Ukrainian national, and they must apply at the same time.
“The Ukraine schemes remain temporary, in line with the Ukrainian government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens, and do not lead to settlement.”
