Northern Ireland

More than 6,200 people in Northern Ireland sign up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees

More than 6,200 people in Northern Ireland have signed up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. Picture by AP Photo/Daniel Cole
More than 6,200 people in Northern Ireland have signed up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. Picture by AP Photo/Daniel Cole More than 6,200 people in Northern Ireland have signed up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. Picture by AP Photo/Daniel Cole

More than 6,200 people in Northern Ireland have signed up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees - with Stormont officials saying the process could take just "hours" to complete.

While there have been more than 130,000 expressions of interest in the `Homes for Ukraine' scheme around the UK, as of yesterday 6,262 people in the north were keen to help.

Almost three million people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries, as a result of the Russian invasion, and the numbers are expected to rise.

A new portal, which was due to be launched yesterday, is asking anyone interested in hosting a named Ukrainian national to sign up.

Stormont officials are asking members of the public to get in contact with their local community, voluntary or church groups, who may have contacts in Eastern Europe and who may be able to identify those in need of accommodation.

When they have this information, they are asked to log on to the portal and input their own information. In turn, the Ukrainian national they intend to sponsor is asked to do the same.

This information will be sent to the Home Office who will, in turn, issue a visa, allowing the Ukrainian national to make their way to Northern Ireland.

The three-year visa will allow the refugee to work and access services.

While the Home Office will carry out some checks at the time of application, further checks will be carried out after the refugee has re-settled.

In addition, accommodation will also have been checked for suitability.

Sponsors will be paid £350 per household a month, however the mechanism of how this will happen has not yet been finalised.

While it is not known how many refugees Northern Ireland will receive, it is thought it will be three per cent of the number the UK take.

Up to 600 Ukrainian people already live in Northern Ireland and are based largely in greater Belfast, Craigavon, Dungannon and Newry and it is anticipated their family members will be among those seeking to come to the north.

It is believed Stormont will receive around £10,500 per refugee, with more on offer if any children are school-age, in a bid to meet associated needs.

This money will be given to the appropriate Stormont department, depending on the needs of the refugees whether it be health or education, while the Department for Communities is also likely to receive cash as it provides funding to the community and voluntary sectors, who will also play a role.

Stormont officials are also currently making plans to open a welcome centre.

Offering a first point of contact, the centre, which will also have accommodation and catering on site, will give officials the chance to assess needs, including any health issues, help with benefit applications and provide orientation.

A senior Stormont official said: "We have all been watching the situation unfolding.

"This is an unprecedented situation for us. We have never dealt with anything like this before, not just in Northern Ireland," he said.

"We have been working across government departments but also with our colleagues in the community and voluntary sector. People are keen to help.

"Community groups, church groups, women's groups, they are already making contact with their opposite numbers in Ukraine and Poland.

"We're working on the basis that this will be significantly larger and more complex than the Syrian refugee scheme where we welcomed and settled over 2,000 refugees on a staggered and planned basis".

When asked how long the visa application could take, the official said: "We're hearing suggestions that it certainly won't be weeks, it will be more in days, possibly hours.

"I think the key message from the Home Office is this is not going to be an elongated process, it is a genuinely truncated process compared with foreign visa arrangements," he said.

The official also said the "safeguarding aspect" of the process "is key".