The 24th of February saw the open invasion of Ukraine by Russia, with
missiles and airstrikes against the Ukrainian military and civilians across
the country. More than 4.3 million refugees have since left Ukraine,
scattering across the world attempting to seek asylum. As of the end of
31st March, the UK has issued 24,400 visas under the family visa scheme,
which allows Ukrainians with a family member of British nationality or
other forms of permanent residence to come to the UK. The UK government has
additionally launched the
“Homes for Ukraine
” scheme that allows UK citizens to host Ukrainians who are known to them
but do not have family ties, more than 100,000 people registered for the
scheme on the first day. 4,700 such sponsorship vias have been issued from
32,200 applications throughout March, however, the system has been
criticised for being overly complex.
A cross-party group of MPs and peers have since called for the visa
scheme
to extend to specifically place students and academics.
Universities UK statement
Meanwhile, universities and student accommodation providers, across the
country are publicly stating their support for Ukraine and condemning the
actions of the Russian regime. Universities UK also updated their statement
on the 7th of April committing themselves to support Ukrainian staff and
students. They also welcomed the
UK Government’s £3 million package
of support for at-risk, Ukrainian researchers to continue their work in the
UK. To aid in this national effort, many universities are offering
practical responses specifically to aid refugees, students, and academics
who are affected by the conflict, whether they are already in the UK or
still in Ukraine.
King’s College London and Citizen’s UK blueprint for university support
King’s College London sprung into action, ahead of many universities, by
partnering with Citizen’s UK to formulate a sponsorship model for UK
universities
to implement the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. The model aims to provide
university communities with a blueprint, through a range of resources, on
how to best host displaced students and academics. The university has also
pledged to provide financial aid for students, coming to the UK, outside of
the £350 a month, covered by government funding.
Jonathan Cox, Deputy Director of Citizens UK said: “We are delighted that
King’s College London is working with us to help resettle Ukrainian
refugees, and co-ordinate the higher education sector to respond to the
crisis. Together we can help this scheme reach scale, ensure that it is
safe for refugees and sponsors alike, become sustainable beyond the initial
six months, and support universities and other civil society organisations
to be at the forefront of the UK’s humanitarian sponsorship scheme for
Ukraine.”
The University-owned and Purpose Built Student Accommodation offered to
refugees
The
University of Worcester
was also the first to announce that they would provide two of their
recently refurbished and vacant halls of residence to Ukrainian refugees at
their St Johns campus for refugees coming to the UK. Readying themselves as
a “reception centre” for fleeing Ukrainian they are also promising
financial aid to those who have been displaced which has been raised
through university-wide fundraising schemes.
Similarly, Irish Higher Education Minister,
Simon Harris, announced last month that Irish colleges and universities
will make student beds available to Ukrainian refugees when they become
vacant at the end of the term. To date, more than 1,000 beds have been
offered across Ireland and colleges and universities will allow Ukrainian
students to continue their studies. He also announced that Purpose Built
Student Accommodation companies are also working with Irish local
authorities to help identify appropriate accommodation that could be
offered to migrants.
The Council for At-Risk Academics
Many universities are also collaborating with the
Council for At-Risk Academics Fellowship Programme (CARA),
which helps academics a “who are being forced to flee by the risk of
imminent imprisonment, injury or death, and works with them to find them
temporary refuge in universities and research institutions until they can
one day return home to help re-build better safer societies”. Universities
such as UCL recognise the contributions of Ukrainian academics to scholarly
fields and have thus pledged to support displaced academic staff. The
University of Lincoln for example is developing support packages that will
allow academics to continue their work for at least six months in the UK-
as well as 15 undergraduate students and 5 postgraduate students.
Support for Ukrainian Students in the UK
In addition to the outpouring of support for refugees in Ukraine,
universities and higher education organisations have also collated a range
of resources to support Ukrainian students who may already be in the UK or
those who may have ties with and be affected by the crisis. Universities’
regular well-being support and facilities are welcoming students concerned
about loved ones in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus to discuss what is a
challenging time for all. Universities such as
Bath Spa have additionally introduced therapeutic workshops
to help students normalise their emotions and learn effective strategies
for self-care and self-regulation. We have also included some links below
to resources for students who are affected.
Resources for those affected:
List of International Universities helping Ukrainian Students:
https://erudera.com/resources/list-of-universities-helping-ukrainian-students/
The UK Council for International Student Affairs is supporting
international students by providing advice on visa’s, immigration, and
more:
https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/
Student Space offer well-being support to students affected by the
conflict: text ‘STUDENT’ to 85258 to start a conversation
