UK Visa Concessions For Ukrainians

The Home Office recently introduced several new visa concessions for Ukrainians. These concessions were introduced in the wake of the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

The new concessions make it easier for Ukrainian residents to bring their families to the UK. They also allow Ukrainians on a Skilled Worker Visa, Student Visa, Visitor Visa, Seasonal Worker Visa, or those employed as pork butchers and HGV drivers to seek extensions or switch from one visa to another with ease.

Other visa concessions also enable Ukrainian refugees to seek a visa roué to the UK.

If you are from Ukraine and want to benefit from these special visa concessions, our visa exemptions for Ukrainians solicitors can help you. With the guidance of the experienced immigration lawyers at the London-based Adam Bernard’s, you can explore your options and make the best choice.

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Family and Dependents of British Residents

The primary visa concession for Ukrainian refugees and others from Ukraine introduced by the Home Office applies to the family members and dependents of Ukrainians living in the UK. If you are a Ukrainian with British nationality or have been living in the UK, you can benefit from these concessions.

Under these concessions, your immediate family members can apply for a visa to the UK. Previously, the Home Office required the family members to meet a stringent set of requirements to be eligible for the visa. These included requirements pertaining to available financial resources and proficiency in the English language.

However, these requirements have been waived due to the situation in Ukraine. With this waiver, your family members can apply for a family migration visa without the need to pay any fee.

The family members who can apply for this concession include the following:

  • A parent in case you are aged under 18
  • A spouse or civil partner
  • An unmarried partner if you can prove that the relationship has existed for at least 2 years
  • A child, granted the child is not over 18 years of age
  • An adult-dependent over the age of 18 who depends on you due to illness, disability, or another reason

As a Ukrainian living in the UK, your above-mentioned family members can immediately apply for a visa to join you in the UK.

In addition to these concessions, the Home Office has also launched visa options that allow the extended family members of a Ukrainian in the UK to apply for a UK visa. These concessions are organised under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Ukrainian refugees can also benefit from certain concessions offered by the Home Office.

If you live in the UK and want your family members from Ukraine to join you, our experienced immigration lawyers can help you. With the help and guidance of our visa exemptions for Ukrainians solicitors, you can speed up the application process to ensure that your family members join you as soon as possible.

Extending a Student Visa

The Home Office has also made available several visa concessions for Ukrainians who are in the UK on a Student Visa. Under these concessions, you can either apply for an extension to your Student Visa.

However, you must meet the standard set of requirements to be eligible for the extension. These include the following:

  • You must be a citizen of Ukraine
  • You must already be in the UK on a Student Visa
  • Your Student Visa must be about to expire
  • You must prove that you have made notable progress in your academics since you were granted the Student Visa
  • You must show that you have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) which proves that you can continue as a student in the UK
  • You must have the financial means to support yourself for at least one year

Our European nationals solicitors can advise you on how best to meet these requirements. With the help of our experienced immigration lawyers, you can apply for a visa extension and get a decision on your application without wasting any time.

Switching to a Graduate Visa

Ukrainians studying in the UK on a Student Visa also have the option to switch to a Graduate Visa if they meet the eligibility requirements. These include the following:

  • You must have previously arrived in the UK on a Student Visa
  • You must be a Ukraine national
  • You must have studied for the duration of your Student Visa
  • The course you enrolled in on your Student Visa must have been completed. Its completion must be confirmed by the institution where you studied the course.

Other requirements may also apply although you may also be eligible for exemptions as an applicant from Ukraine.

Our European nationals solicitors can help you determine the specific requirements and exemptions that apply to your case. With the advice of our experienced immigration lawyers, you can ensure that you benefit from all the exemptions available to you.

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Switching From a Visitor Visa

The Home Office typically does not allow individuals with a Visitor Visa to switch to another visa type. However, this restriction has been relaxed for Ukrainians who are in the UK on a Visitor Visa.

If you hold such a visa, it is now possible for you to switch to the following visa categories:

  • Family Visa
  • Temporary Worker Visa
  • Skilled Worker Visa
  • Startup Visa
  • Tier 1 Investor Visa
  • Student Visa
  • Youth Mobility Scheme Visa

If you want to switch from your Visitor Visa to a Worker or Student Visa, you must satisfy the points-based requirements of your intended visa category. You must also pay the visa application fee and meet other requirements.

For the Family Visa route, you can switch from your Visitor Visa if you are the spouse, partner, fiancé, adult dependent, or child dependent of a family member who is already living in the UK. You can also switch to the UK Ancestry Visa if at least one of your grandparents was born in the UK.

Even though the concessions allow you to switch from the Visitor Visa to another visa category as a Ukrainian applicant, you must still satisfy the eligibility criterion for the visa to which you want to switch.

Our experienced immigration lawyers can help you meet the relevant criterion. The visa exemptions for Ukrainians solicitors at Adam Bernard’s can also advise you on how to bring together the supporting documentation when applying for a different visa.

Extension and Settlement for Skilled Worker Visa Holders

If you are from Ukraine and are in the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa, the new visa concessions apply to you as well.

Under these concessions, you have two options as a Skilled Worker Visa to ensure that you continue to stay in the UK. You can either apply for an extension to your visa, or you can apply for settled status also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

To be eligible for ILR, you must meet the basic requirement of having lived in the UK for at least 5 years. At the same time, the annual salary you are being offered must meet the minimum requirements of the Home Office.

If you are not yet eligible for the ILR, you can instead apply for an extension. To be eligible for an extension to your Skilled Worker Visa, the following conditions must be met:

  • You must be a Ukraine national
  • You must already have been awarded a Skilled Worker Visa
  • You must have performed work in the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa
  • You continue to perform the same job for the same employer for which you were awarded the Skilled Worker Visa in the first place
  • The occupation code for your job remains the same

If your job occupation code or employer has changed since you were granted the Skilled Worker Visa, you may need to satisfy a different set of requirements.

The visa exemptions for Ukrainians solicitors at our law firm can help you understand which requirements apply to your case. With the help of our experienced immigration lawyers, you can ensure that your application is complete and accurate at the time of submission.

Get in touch with our expert UK Visa Concessions For Ukrainians Solicitors today.

Why Choose Adam Bernard’s European Nationals Solicitors?

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s law firm, our experienced immigration lawyers offer comprehensive guidance and help for all visa applications. If you are a Ukrainian national living in the UK, or simply want to apply as Ukrainian refugees, we can help you.

Our European nationals solicitors will work with you to see what concessions apply to your case. We also help you identify and meet all the relevant requirements for your particular case. Our experienced immigration lawyers ensure that your application is free of any errors or omissions at the time you submit it.

This helps you avoid unnecessary delays and ensure that you are able to get a decision from the Home Office in no time. You can schedule a free consultative session with our lawyers to apply as Ukrainian refugees, family members of Ukrainians in the UK, or simply to seek another UK visa.

Call us now at 0207-100-0505 to discuss your case with an experienced lawyer at Adam Bernard’s law firm.

Get in touch with our expert UK Visa Concessions For Ukrainians Solicitors today.