Insights from the Ukraine Policy Network’s March 2026 Meetings
The second round of meetings of the Ukraine Policy Network took place on 16 and 23 March 2026.
The Visa and Pathway to Settlement Working Group focused on the many differences between the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme and other refugee sponsorship schemes. The meeting comprised three presentations. In the first, Diletta Lauro, Senior Policy & Advocacy Officer at the British Red Cross (BRC), looked at the BRC’s recent research report, exploring the lessons learned from “Homes for Ukraine”. The Ukraine Schemes gave quick access to humanitarian protection for a large number of people, but also created specific challenges. The main recommendations included: creating an accessible route to permanent residence that should come into effect at the latest when Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visas end; upholding the family unit as an important part of refugee protection; strengthening matching processes for safe and sustainable placements; and implementing online processes and biometric deferrals wherever possible.
This was followed by a talk by Yuliia Ismail, L2 Immigration Advisor at Settled, with the title “Ukraine Scheme: Current Issues and Policy Prospects”. Yuliia revealed insights from her immigration casework on changes to the UPE application process and the most frequent mistakes made by applicants. The 24-month UPE extension has been available since 8 April 2026, with the application window increased to 90 days before the visa expiry date (from 28 days). The most common reason for delayed UPE decisions is a missing certified translation of a child’s birth certificate. Yuliia also referred to the OECD publication on Ukraine’s Strategic Response to the Displacement Crisis, which highlights that continued lawful stay abroad by the new Ukrainian diaspora is not necessarily contrary to Ukraine’s interests.
Finally, Dmytro Zakharchuk, Director of Bridging Futures Ltd, investigated the political context of the Ukraine Scheme visas and debates around their temporary status. Bridging Futures has created a dedicated page that tracks parliamentary references to a long-term route/settlement for Ukrainians in the UK. It includes Early Day Motions and parliamentary letters.
The meeting raised many issues relevant to the precarity created by short-term visa status, the inaccessibility of other types of visas for the majority of displaced Ukrainians and especially for the vulnerable groups, the unfairness of retroactive changes in immigration rules, and in particular the exclusion of the Ukraine schemes from the 10-year route to residency.
The Employment and Skills Working Group discussed barriers to the employment of displaced Ukrainians, including knowledge of English, UK-based experience, recognition of qualifications, childcare, differences in skills and working cultures.
To kick us off, Anya Abdulakh of the Ukrainian Refugees Infrastructure Project Facilitator/HRW London Committee focused on the organisation’s project in Ealing that aims to build confidence amongst community members to secure higher-paying jobs. Anya shared the organisation’s positive experience of support provided for Ukrainian refugees and the UK Home Office Integration Framework. Anya highlighted the main pillars of integration as: 1) employment and education; 2) health and wellbeing; 3) social connections; 4) rights and participation.
Subsequently, Halyna Skvortsova, Programme Director at Facework Group and Director of Dobrodiy CIC, presented the Facework Ukraine Employability Programme, which has engaged over 1,000 participants. Halyna noted that people with manual labour skills found it easier to secure jobs, whilst highly educated professionals struggled to get employment. Over 74% of their participants are educated to at least degree level, 22.2% of participants are employed part-time, often in insecure jobs or below their skill level. The Facework Employability Programme has helped participants to gain UK-based experience, freelance income opportunities, professional visibility and restored confidence.
The problem with short-term visa status is a recurring theme throughout the working groups: it also complicates access to permanent job contracts, retraining and promotion opportunities. The high levels of education within the displaced Ukrainian population mean they hold the potential to make significant economic contributions and increase their personal household income. However, for this to happen they need to overcome the difficulties in accessing employment at their skill level, including the short-term status of their visas.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group explored the challenges faced especially by physically disabled Ukrainian refugees and displaced Ukrainian women. These specific vulnerabilities multiply the psychological struggles that displaced people are facing. The group also examined the issue of loss of first language by children who are fully integrated in the UK, but expected to return to Ukraine.
The first presentation by Robin Goodwin and Olena Orlova of the University of Warwick, looked at their recent research “Supporting Disabled War Refugees from Ukraine in the UK”. Work with nearly 10,000 displaced Ukrainians across Europe found that those with visual or mobility disabilities reported greater anxiety and poor sleep. But there is little information about physically disabled Ukrainian war refugees in the UK. The researchers have already conducted 45 interviews and further data collection in the UK is ongoing. The (shareable) questionnaire (in Ukrainian) can be found here.
Monika S. Schmid of the University of York presented her team’s recent research on “The Languages of Ukrainian Refugees”. Monika explored Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism and shifts in attitudes towards Russian after the full-scale invasion. She showed that displaced Ukrainian children have developed English proficiency within 12-18 months and some children have begun to lose their Ukrainian, noting that the loss of native language skills can be irreversible. This is likely to be a significant obstacle if these young people eventually return to Ukraine and can cause difficulties in interactions with Ukrainian-speaking family members.
In the third presentation, Peter Wilhelm of the University of Fribourg gave an overview of the Well-being of Ukrainians Study, exploring the mental health and life satisfaction of Ukrainian women during times of war and forced migration. The research posed an interesting question about different levels of stress within three groups: 1) Ukrainians living at the same location as before the war; 2) internally displaced people; 3) refugees living abroad. The highest level of stress and dissatisfaction with employment, financial situation and life in general was found amongst the Ukrainian refugees living abroad (predominantly women), followed by IDPs and then those who did not leave their place of residence. The research is ongoing and the questionnaire is available for dissemination here.
The meeting raised many issues relevant to the mental health and well-being of Ukrainian refugees and the negative impact of living in a constant state of limbo. Long-term residence and integration without any prospect of settlement create feelings of deep unfairness and dissatisfaction that further exacerbates mental health disorders.
The Network leads have created “padlets” to give participants in all three working groups the opportunity to share their ideas regarding the Network’s next steps, which issues and policy-areas should be prioritised and what new research is needed to support policy change. These are now being analysed and the strongest ideas will be taken forward in the coming months.