Anyone else aghast at UK Government's reluctance to allow Ukrainian mothers and children into the country?

[BoffinMum]

I'm aware that a lot of mothers and children are leaving Ukraine as fast as possible (I gather it's illegal for men between 18 and 60 to leave the country at the moment as they will be needed for fighting). I'm also aware that I have a big and very comfy spare room at the moment and it could easily make life a lot easier for a mum with a kid or two in tow, rather than them sitting traumatised on a camp bed on the Polish border. If a family got on a plane in Poland now they could be tucking their kids up in my house in comfort tonight, but Border Control wouldn't let them through right now. I am massively frustrated, to say the least, that the UK Government is being so stupid about visas - the idea that women and children fleeing a war should have to apply to pick fruit (in February! FFS!) or rock up to apply for a work visa at £1200+ with proof of earnings massively in excess of the UK average wage is just wrong IMO. I wish there was something we could do. Like today.

You're only willing to offer that room to refugees who are unable to stay in it?

Yeah virtue signalling, so tedious 😐

*Exactly, this was my earlier point. Refugees havealwaysneeded homes.

It seems almost 'fashionable' (for want of a better word) for people to suddenly claim they're willing to put Ukrainian refugees up at the moment. Which is what makes me wonder how genuine some people are.*

They are genuine. Ukrainians are white. Makes all the difference

They are genuine. Ukrainians are white. Makes all the difference

Sadly this could be true.

Oh well let’s not give any visas out then just in case it results in “virtue signalling” 🙄

OP I would like to hope that our Government is liaising with the rest of Europe on exactly what is needed from the UK in terms of assisting refugees. Although knowing the idiots we have in charge I’m not overly optimistic!

That's my view, Missy. They don't seem to be able to apply any normal standards of judgement or decent behaviour to visa situations, It's the same with families that aren't allowed to live together in the UK even though one parent is a UK citizen. Harsh and cruel.

The Cabinet are still being exceptionally mean and peevish about letting in most Ukrainian women and children in need. What a strangely inhuman bunch of people they are. Then again, they have been starving the disabled to death for a decade.

We still have many thousands of homeless in the UK and they haven't been homed. It isnt.that simple. We don't have the houses spare. We are in a housing crisis already.

They aren’t being bombed though, are they?

Might the Tories be taking the view that their voters, who tend not to go in for virtue signalling on Twitter, don’t actually want more waves of mass immigration, having voted to leave the EU?

@Guineapigssweak

We still have many thousands of homeless in the UK and they haven't been homed. It isnt.that simple. We don't have the houses spare. We are in a housing crisis already.

There are 250,000 empty houses in the UK, and that doesn't include second homes and those empty for less than six months. We do have spare houses, but the Tories are happy to let them stay that was for as long as it benefits people like them.

I cannot believe this thread and how horrible and unfair people being to OP. OP has said that she would very kindly like to house some Ukrainian refugees and people are attacking her for this and saying what about other refugees??!!!

If I said I wanted to donate to help Ukraine, would you then attack me for that and say I should be donating to other countries in need?

Sadly I think a lot of people on Mumsnet get a kick out of being awkward. Shame it has to come at the expense of derailing this thread.

Wasn't the Ukrainian ambassador on TV a few days ago saying they'd rather have cash from the UK to help Ukrainians stay in neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe, where there are language, culture and family ties? I'd rather give my money and effort where they ask for it.

The situation is appalling and we should help, this government was basically elected on its refusal to help refugees from war torn parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The mandate "we" gave them is that we don't want to help.

This government arent even allowing ukranians with family ties in the Uk in. They arent allowing them to enter to be taken in and supported by their own relatives.

Boris can't offer them safety because he will then upset all the people that voted for him and his anti-immigration Brexit stance. He can't risk p**sing off the very people that cheer him on every time he behaves like a prattish oaf.

Shocking but what does one expect. The Tories feel they got into the power on the basis that no foreigners are welcome here (a vast over-simplification of the Brexit vote) so it doesn't matter what sort of humanitarian crisis ensues, they feel they have to keep peddling the idea that Britain is a fortress.

@Guineapigssweak

We still have many thousands of homeless in the UK and they haven't been homed. It isnt.that simple. We don't have the houses spare. We are in a housing crisis already.

The government could sort homelessness out easily if they actually gave a shit about homeless people, many of whom are on the street due to changes to poverty created by the policies of the current government. Let's not kid ourselves they care about homeless people in the UK or Ukraine. They have got to be the most selfish, un-empathetic government that has existed in the past century or more, if not ever.

ScribblingPixie

Wasn't the Ukrainian ambassador on TV a few days ago saying they'd rather have cash from the UK to help Ukrainians stay in neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe, where there are language, culture and family ties? I'd rather give my money and effort where they ask for it“

This: most of the refugees want to be as close to home as possible. Their sons/husbands/fathers are their, fighting for them.

Unless the families already have relatives in the UK (who they presumably will stay with) why would they want to travel even further away?

We can’t afford to accommodate a family indefinitely but we can send smaller amounts of money to reliable organisations that will use it where it’s desperately needed, in Poland, Moldova, etc.

The government could sort homelessness out easily if they actually gave a shit about homeless people, many of whom are on the street due to changes to poverty created by the policies of the current government. Let's not kid ourselves they care about homeless people in the UK or Ukraine. They have got to be the most selfish, un-empathetic government that has existed in the past century or more, if not ever.

There was a plan to build 3000 homes on farmland on the outskirts of an affluent town near here, some of it social housing. It was part of a long standing development plan for the area but the NIMBYs made such a fuss the plan has been shelved.

My point being it's not just the government - they know what got them elected.

@Ifailed

There are currently around 40 wars going on around the world, mostly in Africa, but also across vast swathes of the middle east and Asia. Why aren't people worrying about the millions of women and children caught up in them?

you know the reason,

Hypocrisy will always be exposed.

Could you rent out your spare room to a lodger OP, with all income from that being directly transferred to charities working directly with the refugees? That's probably the best solution for now.

This afternoon I heard on the radio from a charity that 1,600 people have come forward to house Afghan refugees. (I presume these hosts homes are suitable and not in the middle of nowhere.) The government refused stating if ordinary citizens housed them then they wouldn't get the support they needed. So Afghan refugees including small children are stuck in shitty hotels.

1,000 people have come forward to house Ukrainian refugees. There is probably a cross over with the number of hosts.

Unfortunately Ukrainian refugees can't come into the country. (There is apparently one person in the British Embassy in Warsaw dealing with their visa requests.)

There have been random British people with holiday homes abroad in the EU who have managed to house Ukrainian refugees. So if you have a holiday home in the EU that isn't in a rural location that's what you can do.

How does sponsoring work and will you do that?

Tbh I’m not sure if the detail but have heard a bit about it