More Ukrainian refugees fall victim to visa fraud in Britain - The Independent
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainians seeking asylum in the UK through the Homes for Ukraine program are increasingly becoming victims of fraud. The criminals swindle people out of their money, issue them with fake visas, and disappear.
In Britain, more and more Ukrainians who try to use the British state refugee assistance program Homes for Ukraine are becoming victims of fraud. This was reported by The Independentwith reference to UNN.
Details
Criminals are taking advantage of the desperation of Ukrainians to force them to pay hundreds of pounds for travel permits to the UK and fake British visas. Charitable organizations say the number of such situations is growing.
At the same time, the publication adds that often British border guards grant six-month visas to Ukrainians who have been victims of fraud. However, there are cases where people are classified as illegal migrants.
Charities are concerned that Ukrainians who have received a six-month visa stamp do not have access to housing and benefits. It is noted that local authorities and employees of the employment center consider their stay in the country to be illegal.
Addendum
The journalists cite the story of Ukrainian refugee Maria, whose hometown in eastern Ukraine is occupied by Russia. She herself, trying to leave for Britain, was "hooked" by fraudsters.
She was sent an allegedly British visa and information about her British sponsors (guarantors providing housing) after she paid about £300 to help organize her move to the UK.
I was sure that they [the sponsors - ed.] were waiting for me in England. But when I arrived at Stansted Airport, I discovered that my letter from the Home Office was a fake. The officer stamped my passport with a temporary visa and told me to go to the community administration where my "sponsor" was said to live. When the administration said that they did not have such a sponsor registered with them, I almost fainted. What to do? I had nowhere else to go
For now , the Red Cross has placed Maria in a temporary shelter, which has provided her with £30 a week to live on while she fought for four months to obtain a biometric residence permit.
This meant that she could not work, study, apply for benefits or visit a doctor.
British law enforcement officials say they are aware of the problem of Ukrainian refugees being used by British organized crime networks. The Ministry assures that they are working to identify and prevent such cases.
The British Red Cross also said that they were aware of a small number of cases where British sponsors paid for Ukrainian families to travel to the UK on the condition that they accept a specific job offer.
Instead, upon arrival, it turned out that the terms of employment were significantly different from those originally agreed upon.
We have also heard that this is the case in situations where the additional cost of living (utilities, food costs) associated with hosting a family is used as a reason to force people to work in an exploitative manner
IMPORTANT
Charitable organizations are warning Ukrainians that the so-called "Ukrainian" visas issued by the UK to refugees from Ukraine are free. Therefore, the requirement to pay for them should be alarming. Ukrainians are also urged to check sponsors who provide housing in the UK more carefully, including at least one video call.
Recall
Ukrainian refugees in Europe face a difficult choice: to return home or to stay in the EU, with some countries, such as Germany, accepting them on a long-term basis despite employment problems.
