Refugees "visiting home"

The only person ‘confused’ seems to be you. Confused about the actual details of the special Ukrainian scheme offered to Ukrainians by the UK government. Fancy, someone moaning about immigrants not being in full possession of actual facts.
Shocked, shocked I tell ye.

Lots of Ukrainians weren't allowed to. Military aged men and women in particular roles were restricted, regardless of whether they were safe or not.

This. Unbelievable thread.

There are no flights. Are you kidding?
it is a flight to Poland and bus/train across the border

Two friends took in Ukrainian refugees. One, a younger woman, goes back every 2 months to have her hair done, the second goes back for dental care. I can understand that they want to go back to see their loved ones, but I can’t understand how flights can continue into a war torn country.

Exactly.

Someone I know slightly came here as an asylum seeker because it wasn't safe for him to live as a gay man in his home country. He still goes home biannually, otherwise he would never see his elderly mother. That doesn't mean it would be a safe place for him to live. Even his mum has stopped begging him to come home.

Oh of course it would be the people with money. I just don't see why it's not safe to live there yet their whole family still does and it's apparently fine for holiday visits? If they were ok money wise then why hasn't the rest of the family fleed?

The people who flee war, famine, persecution are often the wealthiest as they have the resources, confidence and brain power to get out.

If Britain was bombed, who do you think would be able to get out first? And who do you think wouldn't?
Take your time, think about it.

I don't think comments like this are helpful. We should be able to discuss these issues and those who have concerns about it should be able to air those views respectfully without being told to get a life or called names by other people on here.

I personally don't have an opinion on the issue. I don't know all the facts and background to someone's situation and it's not my place to sit here and judge. If they are here legally, that's the main thing.

However, like I said, I do think people should be able to talk about these things if they choose to.

Maybe you should watch the news today op and hear about the most recent awful attack on Ukraine. Then see how you feel about it!

Your friend sounds lovely. Well done to her for helping this young woman.

I agree with you OP. Also if my country was at war and Ukraine was at peace, if I wanted to go there as a refugee I wouldn’t be even let past the border let alone be given a penny social welfare.

Ukrainians were offered an Ukraine visa Scheme. This person decided to use the route created by the UK government. Same as people applying for work visa or student visa or family visa do depending on their situation. Everyone picks the one that works the best for them. If I was given a choice to apply for a visa through a scheme that was free and included benefits and right to work and study, hell yeah I'd take advantage of that. In comparison coming through skilled work visa is impossible and expensive.

I can kinda understand what you're trying to say and there are individual cases that i know and would agree with you. But I don't think in this case it is odd at all.

Well Kiev in particular but of course other parts of Ukraine are shelled by Russian missiles and drones daily so there are casualties every day. There are some less “important” parts that are less at risk but nowhere is fully safe really.
She IS taking a risk to go there. So are people who are staying there, but what options do they have 🤷‍♀️

But Ukranians are on the special status so travelling there doesn’t invalidate their right to stay here. Technically they are not asylum seekers.

Lets remove 'danger' even though obviously its still fucking dangerous.

So her whole town was destroyed and is still uninhabitable ruin in an ongoing war (along with many, many, many other towns)... where do you think all the refugees are moving back too?

If a country suddenly seized the southern half of England do you think there would magically be enough space in the north for ever single person from the south to just settle up here? (note: the north already has a MASSIVE homeless population).

There is not enough infrastructure to house a whole country in 1 city, do you think they should all live in an active war-zone, overcrowded in dangerous tent towns and slums on the outskirts of the full city. That's exactly why refugees are moved to other areas, its called displacement.

I know a Ukrainian who is here with her 7-year-old son. They go back in some of the school holidays. And when they do, the little boy sleeps in a corridor as it's the only room in the home without windows, so the safest in the event of a bombing.

But what is the alternative for them? That she goes years without seeing her husband and adult daughter? That the little boy goes years without seeing his dad and sister?

She has to strike a balance between keeping her DS safe and keeping herself and her DS connected to their family.

I come from a place that was not safe to live in when I was a child. We moved suddenly at very short notice with the things that could fit in the car (although other stuff got brought over later - I don’t want to suggest we were destitute or had to make the sort of journey many Ukrainians have had to do). There were specific dangers for my dad but a risk to all of us as a result and in general.

We visited for short periods throughout my childhood, my mum wanted to see her mum and sister in particular. We didn’t go when things were particularly hot, there were areas we never went to and we hung around very close to our relatives houses where we were staying. There is absolutely no way we would’ve considered returning. Maybe some people would call that a ‘holiday’?

My relatives are all gone now and I’ve never been back. This is where I call home and where I belong.

I teach Ukrainian refugees. Many go back to Ukraine for dental and GP appointments, as it is much easier for them to get an appointment in their home country than here. They have never spoken of danger, but they are a tough, resilient people.

But, there is little danger returning to West Ukraine. The danger is in a strip of the East where armed fighting is taking place - around Donesk, Karhkiv etc.and the Russian border.

Jesus.

A young girl has had to leave her family and home due to a war. She has gone back because she misses home.

If you actually look (and stop being so ignorant), life is continuing in cities such as Kyiv

One of my Ukranian guests returned home fir a week to deal with a family emergency

She refused to take either her son or her mother also both living with us and was relieved to return and distressed by bav8ng to leave family members there

I took that post by @Devilsmommy to mean that whoever is saying that is talking absolute rubbish. Some of these posts are just nonsense, and are obviously just to bash refugees.

Ukraine is a war zone. There are different types of refugees—this girl is a refugee of war. Yes, it is dangerous to go back. What would I do in her situation? I think I wouldn’t go back until Russia was out, but this is hypothetical for me.

There are other types of refugees, for example, LGBTQ refugees who risk the death penalty if they go home. I would doubt that these refugees go home.

We probably can’t give a definitive answer for all refugees, and whether it’s safe for them to visit home.

Going back to see family has some risk attached, but not as much risk as staying permanently.

People take risks to see loved ones.

That's all. Sometimes you just need to look beyond the labels and apply a bit of common sense.

Yabu. The risks for a short visit aren't the same as living there full time. Our Ukrainian neighbours visit home also. I find it strange that you seem to think they shouldn't.