Parliamentarians led by Andrew Rosindell MP call on Home Secretary to support Ukrainian students and academics.

A coalition of over 100 Parliamentarians and Universities UK, the collective voice of 140 universities across the UK, have written to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, calling on the Government to expand the Ukrainian visa scheme for temporary placements for students and academics. 

The 150,000 applications to house Ukrainian refugees demonstrate the will and determination of the British people to support those most in need. It is vital that at this critical juncture, we make the necessary expansions to the Ukrainian refugee scheme to provide the greatest impact. 

We will support Ukraine and assure that those who stay to fight will, along with their families, be safe and secure, until such a time that they will return home to rebuild their country. 

The letter from Andrew Rosindell MP and signed by senior Parliamentarians including Tom Tugendhat MP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, The Rt Hon Lord Blunkett, former Secretary of State for Education, The Rt Hon Dr Julian Lewis MP and The Rt Hon Sir Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, calls for:

• The expansion of the temporary visa scheme to Ukrainian students and academics 
• Western institutions such as British universities to offer a sanctuary and a place to study and produce independent research 
• Britain to uphold the entrenched position of supporting and standing up for democracy, freedom, liberty and free speech
• Temporary refuge for students, especially those studying medicine and engineering, as these qualifications will be needed to rebuild Ukraine once the war is over. 

Andrew Rosindell M.P., who arranged the letter, said: 

“As a country, we have always stood up on the side of freedom and for what is right, and we must do so again today. Where we can help the most, we should. Thousands of Ukrainian academics and students have been displaced and disrupted by Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation.

It is vital that President Putin’s narrative that Ukraine is not a country is firmly and unequivocally rebutted and the bravery and collective struggle of the Ukrainian people is properly documented. Only by giving Ukrainian academia a safe home can this be ensured.

Vivienne Stern MBE, Director of Universities UK, added:

“Universities UK is pleased to see the UK Government support for Ukrainian academics at risk along with the announcement of hardship funding for Ukrainian students in England. 

We are now backing this call for the government to go further in supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine, including by making it easier to unlock opportunities in higher education.”

Already individual universities and institutions are offering positions to Ukrainian academics, but today we call for this to be extended to state programmes and to students as well, with the necessary financial support for universities to implement this.” 

The Rt. Hon. Lord Blunkett, former Secretary of State for Education and Employment, who supports the letter, said: 

“Millions of the Ukrainian people have lost so much. 

It would be a tragedy if the young people who form the future for rebuilding the country and offering the powerhouse of innovation and creativity were to be denied the continuation of their education and research opportunities because of the actions of President Putin. 

Offering the opportunity to resume learning with appropriate support in the UK’s higher education system is just one small, but important, step in making our commitments to the Ukrainian people a reality”.