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December 26, 2023Charitable organizations claim that refugees from Ukraine arriving in the United Kingdom are increasingly falling victim to “sophisticated” fraud involving fake visas and deceit regarding housing provisions under the program aiding families from Ukraine.
This information comes from the British newspaper The Independent.
“Charitable organizations have informed the Independent that they are encountering a growing number of cases where Ukrainian citizens are being tricked into paying hundreds of pounds for letters granting entry into the United Kingdom and counterfeit British visas,” the newspaper writes.
The charitable organization “Opportunity” also frequently encounters Ukrainians who have become victims of visa scams.
“It can be said with certainty that every week we receive two to three messages from people who find themselves in such a situation,” said the organization’s executive director, Stan Benesh, in an interview with The Independent.
According to Independent sources, the UK’s Home Office is working on identifying instances of fraud and preventing them.
“Fake visas are ‘impossible to detect,’ so airline staff allow their holders on board, but customs services inform them upon arrival that their documents are invalid,” the newspaper writes, citing the organization Settled.
The publication also specifies, based on Settled’s information, that the organization is currently handling “from one to five such cases every week.”
“I was sure my sponsors were waiting for me in England. But when I arrived at Stansted Airport, I found out that my letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was forged. An officer stamped a temporary visa in my passport and told me to contact local authorities. They told me that such a sponsor was not registered with them,” the newspaper quotes a Ukrainian refugee named Maria.
It is noted that with temporary documents, Ukrainian refugees are unable to work in the country, study, claim benefits or access healthcare.
Moreover, some fraudsters offer Ukrainian citizens entry into the UK via Dublin in cases where refugees do not realize that Ireland is not part of the UK.
In mid-December, the British government reported that the UK had issued around 250,000 visas to Ukrainian refugees, with 195,000 holders of British visas from Ukraine having already arrived in the UK by December 11, and nearly 30,500 people receiving permission for long-term stay.
The UK has eased visa regulations for Ukrainians since the full-scale war began. Family scheme visas for Ukrainian refugees are free, issued for three years, allowing individuals to live in the country, work, study and access state funds. These documents can be obtained by those who have relatives in the UK. The sponsorship scheme implies that refugees can come to those willing to accommodate them in their homes.