Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 8 million Ukrainians have been displaced across Europe. The vast majority – 86% – are women and children.
The most popular destination countries in the UN refugee response plan are Poland with more than 1.5 million refugees and the Czech Republic with 489,865. The latest UN data indicates that there are also more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees in Germany, 169,837 in Italy, 166,832 in Spain and 161,400 in the United Kingdom.
The majority of Ukrainians entering the UK since February 2022 have done so via the two special visa routes. These are the Ukraine family scheme (allowing Ukrainians to join family members already present in the UK) and the Ukraine sponsorship scheme, commonly known as “homes for Ukraine”. Homes for Ukraine allows Ukrainian nationals to come to the UK if they have a sponsor able to provide them with accommodation for at least six months.
