Ukrainian Voice UK

Last week saw the first in a series of working group meetings organised by the Ukraine Policy Network, bringing together researchers, academics and practitioners to discuss the practical challenges facing Ukrainians, nationwide. As we approach the fourth anniversary of the catastrophic escalation in the war, it has become more important than ever to look at the long-term future of displaced Ukrainians, and to evidence the need for policy reform to support their continued well-being and development.

The network will be running 3 parallel working groups, investigating various aspects of the experiences, hopes, and needs of Ukrainians displaced here, following the full-scale invasion in 2022. The first working group focuses on the major issue of visas and pathways to settlement, the second focuses on education and skills, and the third on mental health and well-being.

The initial meeting of the Visas and Pathway to Settlement Working Group necessarily touched on many of the interlocking issues affecting Ukrainians, and consisted primarily of three pieces of research, presented by teams from the University of Birmingham, and the University of York.

The first presentation, by Natalia Kogut of the University of Birmingham, looked at their recent research “Displaced Ukrainians in the UK: Experiences and Future Intentions”, from the specific perspective of visas and the pathway to settlement – or rather the lack of one. It detailed the uniqueness of the Ukraine response and visa schemes, when viewed alongside other resettlement programmes, and their access to the long residency settlement route. It also touched on the parallel position of displaced Ukrainians in EU countries to ask if there are any lessons that can be learned from the approach of member states.

Gabriella D’Avino, also from the University of Birmingham, looked further into the experiences of Ukrainians and hosts within the sponsorship framework that Homes for Ukraine enabled. While her presentation, “Refugee Sponsorship in the UK – H4U and the Limits of Pathways to Resettlement”, highlighted some benefits of the model, it demonstrated the strong negative impacts on wellbeing caused by the lack of a follow-on route out of sponsorship, or a route to settlement (click here to learn more).

Finally, Maryna Kapas-Romaniuk of the University of York spoke on the impacts of war and forced displacement on language retention and development, with a focus on supporting the linguistic impact on Ukrainian children. In “Preserving Ukrainian Refugee Children’s Home Language (relevance to the visa and pathway to settlement)”, she highlighted the rapid deterioration of the home language, and the depth of impact on their native language fluency in only 12-18 months (lclick here to learn more).

The meeting raised many issues relevant to the psychological wellbeing, long-term stability, and development of Ukrainians. It highlighted the challenges for older individuals, single mothers, and particularly younger people, and sparked meaningful discussions on various shortfalls in the current visa scheme. Given the nature of the displaced population, it also highlighted the gendered aspect of many of these challenges and risks. Subsequent meetings will highlight new areas for research, and help to build the evidence case for a pathway to settlement and the support structures needed to protect the long-term wellbeing of Ukrainians in the UK.

By Nick Wysoczanskyj