British government, on March 13, announced a new scheme named “Homes for Ukraine”, under which Britons will be offered an amount of 350 pounds per month, if they can provide spare room or property for a minimum period of six months to the Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
Under this scheme, Britons are allowed to offer accommodation to refugees rent free , even if they have no family ties to Britain. Anyone willing to offer shelter will have to unveil whether the accommodation meets standards and may have to go through criminal record checks as most refugees are women and children. As per the reports, refugees will also undergo security checks. A website will be launched on Monday where sponsors express their interest. The scheme further permits the Ukrainians to remain in UK for 3 year and can access healthcare, education and work.
The new scheme is warmly welcomed by the opposition Labour party but mentioned that the government still needs to clarify key details and compared it unfavourably with the EU’s no-strings approach to Ukrainian refugees.