More than 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have received sanctuary in the UK through its visa schemes, British government figures indicate.
The 104,000 includes 31,300 people under the family project, which entails refugees staying with relatives already in the UK, and 72,700 people signed up to the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, under which people live with volunteer families.
The figures also show that, as of Tuesday, 198,200 applications had been made for visas, with 166,200 issued.
These include 55,000 applications under the family scheme, of which 47,200 visas have been granted, and 143,200 applications for the sponsorship scheme, of which 119,000 visas have been granted.
Overall, 62.6 per cent of those who have been issued with visas under either scheme have reached the UK. Those fleeing Ukraine can live in the UK for up to three years under the current agreement.
Poland, a European Union nation with a lengthy Ukraine border, was the major first stop for people leaving the war zone.
From there, in theory, refugees were able to move into other countries for longer stays as the EU tried to operate an open-doors policy.
The UK, now outside the EU, was criticised for having a slow, restrictive and sometimes chaotic refugee policy.
In April, sponsors said more than 800 Ukrainian refugees were forced to wait several weeks to enter the UK under the Homes for Ukraine programme.
The programme was branded “heartless and inhumane” by Angela Le Roux, who is sponsoring a Ukrainian family in Britain.
Ms Le Roux said she had been reduced to tears by “rude” government officials.
Other incidents faced by Ukrainians attempting to come to the UK have included a child’s passport expiring before he received his visa, which required him to begin his application process again.
Refugees, sponsors and even Home Office employees drafted in to work on the Homes for Ukraine project have complained of confusion and of the programme's slow pace.
As of April 18, only 6,600 Ukrainians had arrived in Britain in the first five weeks of the sponsorship initiative.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
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Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
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Power: 671hp
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Range: 456km
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
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