First off, I’m quite grateful to the UK for all the Ukraine support. They’re really doing a lot, way more than I would have expected.

My background. I’m a dual British-Ukrainian citizen living in the UK. I have a family here, and I also have a son from the previous marriage in Ukraine. He’s 14. He never planned to come and live in the UK, he was quite happy in Ukraine. That obviously changed and I’d like to somehow get hold of him.

His mum agreed to try and bring him to a neighbouring country (Moldova or Poland maybe), and I thought I would just go and fetch him to bring him to the UK with.

Reading so many news about supporting Ukrainian refugees I thought it would be a piece of cake from the legal point of view, but, alas, the only thing that the government relaxed so far is taking your immediate family member to the UK if you’re a British citizen living in Ukraine:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk

Which is the right step forward, of course.

But since I don’t live in Ukraine, I can only apply for the general family visa:

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa

Which is quite expensive (£1,500 + £2,350 NHS surcharge), and there’s no super priority option. Meaning if he escapes to Moldova and I meet him there, we’ll have to apply for visa and wait for months in a country we have no connection to for a decision that might be negative.

The money is a concern, but it could be borrowed; I’m mostly worried about all that long waiting for the decision.

In any case, could someone confirm my understanding is correct and applying for a family visa seems to be our only option?

If that’s correct, is there any way to try and influence the government to further relax the rules in a more meaningful way?

Please pardon my English. I’m a confident and fluent speaker of English, but it’s not my native language.

Also, I know immigration is a controversial topic, but could you please try and avoid saying any mean things to me, cause the life is stressful enough even without being abused on reddit for bringing up controversial issues.

29 comments

  1. Perhaps try r/ukvisa but my very limited understanding matches yours – basically nothing has actually been done to help Ukrainians come to the UK.

    ~~edit: I really do hope everyone else also internalises that this story is played out all the time by non-ukranians who have no hope of the government being shamed into changing policy~~

  4. This isn’t a permanent solution by any stretch but it would seem you are both eligible to go to Ireland due to you being a uk citizen and them waiving visa requirements for Ukrainians. If you would like to get your son out of any immediate danger this could be a an intermediary solution whilst everyone gets there shit together. It’s only been 5 days and a lot can change quickly. I imagine you can get a cheap hotel for £20-£30 a night although I haven’t looked.

  5. Firstly, I just wanted to say I’m really sorry for everything you’re going through. I hope you and your loved ones are okay. I’m also sorry that you’ve had to ask for no hate on this post. We are lucky to have you here in the U.K.

    Unfortunately, I think you are correct on the visas. There is a lot of backlash and uproar about it and there are petitions etc you can sign (I’m not allowed to post those in here, but if a petition gets to 100k, the government have to legally acknowledge and debate it in parliament). There are marches etc too if you want to make your voice heard though with the government we have, I doubt it will do anything I’m afraid.

    Saying that, if you are a U.K. citizen, so is your son? Do what you have to do to get him here even if it’s a holiday visa. I think they’ve said they are prioritising Ukrainian visas so maybe he can come here on a holiday visa until his actual long term one gets sorted.

  6. Are you British by birth? Was the child born in the UK?

    If not, what was your status at the time the child was born? Were you British when the child was born?

  7. I’m fairly sure your assessment is correct, you would have to wait until the visa is approved. I’ve recently (last September) brought a family member to the UK on this visa and we had to wait two months even though we paid around £800 extra for a fast track. Coming to the UK on a visitor visa is allowed during that time, but you then have to go back to the country where you applied to get the physical document. If you can, get an immigration lawyer to help guide you through these intricacies. If you can’t, go to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
    That said, there should be more support available for you given the current situation. **Write to your MP**. They can get things moving/give you advice and would probably like the good publicity of helping Ukrainians right now. If that fails, you should go to the BBC or the Guardian with your story. No guarantees that it will change things, but raising the profile of your story could help.
    If you do go ahead, once your son is in the EU, are there any other countries where you do have connections? Maybe you/he could stay somewhere on a visitor visa while the residency visa is approved in the UK.

  8. Have you looked at the standard 6 month visitor visa? It’s online and less than £100.

    If you can get him that, then worry about next steps once he is here.

  9. >since I don’t live in Ukraine, I can only apply for the general family visa:

    Your link does not work but if you are referring to [this page](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk) I think its only the person you are bringing over who needs to live in the Ukraine not you, although its quite bad grammar so I can see how you have made that mistake.

    As for timings it says within 24 hours.

    edit: maybe I have read it wrong, its quite confusing, they really need to sort this out.

  10. Pls write to your MP. ask him/ her if they can help you in this situation.

    You can also contact Citizen’s Advice (CAB) who can suggest a free Immigration Advice service (UK govt funds them).

  12. Unfortunately the Tories just really don’t like foreign spouses/kids.

    Went through that hell with my wife to get her Indefinite Leave to Remain… ergh

  13. Can you try calling the Ukrainian embassy in London? See if they can offer any advice or assistance.

    Try 020 7727 6312. Their website seems to be down unsurprisingly.

  14. How about going to Republic of Ireland, our government are absolute cold hearted bastards. But I know that both Ukrainians and British people can meet in Ireland

  16. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#non-british-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine

    It looks like this has been updated — you can get him a family visa for free, but you still have to get him a family visa. They’re supposedly fast-tracking applications to be processed within days (but supposedly is the key word there). He can apply in Lviv, or Poland, Moldova, Romania, or Hungary.

    It does look like a family visa is your only option, and given that the fast-tracking is limited to a few countries it’s probably best to pay for a hotel/airbnb for a while and have him apply from one of those places rather than bringing him to Ireland first.

  18. If the option with going to Ireland for the time being gets into peril, do you think your son would be allowed to visit the UK as a tourist while waiting for the family visa decision? Visiting the UK from Ukraine as a minor should be possible with a standard visitor visa, given that as a parent you can meet the conditions listed on this government website: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/if-youre-under-18 Check especially for the part about a person aged under 18 travelling alone.

    Going to Poland or Moldova first should not be much of an issue with the standard visitor stuff, since it usually matters where your journey originates.

    I also recommend setting up something like a gofundme and posting it here and in other places. Any bit of money can help you get through this more easily.

  20. Civil servant here. Your best bet is to contact the immigration office directly for accurate information, with these things it is better to follow the correct procedures to ensure your child arrives here.

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk

    Telephone: +44 300 3032785 – select option 1 (0300 3032785 if you’re in the UK – select option 1)
    Lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
    This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.

  21. I’d suggest Ireland. They are accepting refugees and you can travel North and it’s just like the UK, you’ll get the same benefits there as you would have on the mainland. I live in the North and you can PM me if you feel like i can help in any way. If i can help him travel to you or let him stay until something is sorted i will also do that, i can also sort him out with transport to the airport or anything else you need. I would be very pleased to help you out.

  22. Hey man, sorry to hear your situation

    Your son is entitled to move, visa free, to Ireland as part of our move to remove visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens

    As a British citizen you are exempt from the Aliens Act, which means that except for referenda and presidential elections you are treated the same as an Irish Citizen while in Ireland.

    Both of you can stay here as long as you like, so you could deal with the home office from a place of safety

    Also, while I’m not encouraging any illegality at all, British airports tend not to check passports of those traveling from Ireland to Britain due to the CTA

    Best of luck!

  23. Bring him to the UK on a visitor visa if that gets him out of the Ukraine. You get 6 months on that. You will then have time to deal with the rest.

  26. I don’t have any advice, but I hope you know that there are many UK citizens who want to see Ukrainians resettled here, and we’re not all xenophobic ass hats like people who run our country.

    Hoping you and your son can be reunited safely and this war ends ASAP.

  27. Sadly the comical cost of immigration fees is something we all suffer- as children, spouses, supporting family members of british citizens. It sucks and I somehow doubt they’d be nice enough to waive them, but who knows. They just upped a ton of the visa fees last year.

    A lot of people write their MPs when there are issues with visas. Usually that’s the best way to get things clered up quickly when UKVAS does something stupid. It usually results in clarifications pretty quickly.

    It’s possible if you speak to your MP they might give you some options which may waive or reduce fees, or expedite the visa process. They do after all ask you in applications if you are a refugee, unable toreturn to your home country under circumstances, etc.

  28. I’ve just been trying to research this. Your understanding is correct, re: your situation not being covered for a free visa (under current rules). However, it appears the Government have now made concessions for people in your situation, but the details have yet to be confirmed, so who knows what the small print will be.

    Once your son is safely out of Ukraine, I would advise taking proper legal advice (even if it’s just a free consultation) before completing any paperwork. I believe you have up to 90 days after arriving in Ireland to apply for a visa in Ireland. Hopefully, it will all go smoothly but this is just to be on the safe side*.

    Good luck!

    **We have had a xenophobic government in charge for over 10 years, and immigration policy has been designed to discourage immigration (even to the extent of attempting to deport children born in Britain) – see also the Windrush Scandal.*

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