Johnová (Prague itself): The agency British Homes for Ukrainian Refugees has started operating
14.05.2022 10:07 | Press Release
In the premises of the Škoda Palace, where the City Hall is located. m Prague, the agency British Homes for Ukrainian Refugees began to operate. The project offers Ukrainian refugees to find suitable hosts in the UK, with whom they then apply for a British refugee visa from the Homes for Ukraine program.
The visa entitles Ukrainians to a three-year stay in the United Kingdom, access to the labor market, health care, free education and a wide range of social assistance. The agency is open in the center of Prague from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00.
In response to the Russian attack on Ukraine, the UK government has launched a Homes for Ukraine program to support British hosts who house Ukrainian refugees on their premises for a minimum of 6 months. In the first days, 300,000 hosts signed up for the program. The hosts must have a clean criminal record and undergo an inspection of the accommodation by the local government. This ensures the credibility of the program for Ukrainian refugees. Specific hosts for specific refugees then apply for a visa.
“I see a threefold meaning in the project. We help Ukrainians fleeing the war by providing a safe and hospitable place that can become their temporary home. We are helping the citizens of Great Britain to help Ukrainian refugees. Finally, we are replacing the still missing state mechanism for an even distribution of the number of refugees between Prague and the surrounding regions, “says Milena Johnová, Councilor for Social Policy and Health. To illustrate: in Prague, the number of received refugees reached 70 people per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the region with the lowest burden it is 16 people per 100,000 inhabitants.
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Visas provide refugees with a residence permit in the UK, which can be extended for 3 years, health insurance, immediate access to education and the labor market, or entitlement to various support schemes such as a one-off accommodation allowance, child allowances or support until gaining employment. The time taken to process a visa application ranges from a few days to a few weeks, so it is advisable for refugees to secure temporary protection in the Czech Republic in the meantime.
The British Homes Agency for Ukrainian Refugees has collaborators in the UK. For refugees who turn to it, it looks for suitable hosts, mediates bilateral contact, including interpretation, provides all the necessary information and accompanies individual cases until obtaining a visa and leaving for the United Kingdom.
“British hosts are extremely hospitable and happy that they can do a little to alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians. The conditions offered by the United Kingdom are also interesting from a working point of view. After the United Kingdom left the European Union, there are a number of vacancies previously held by citizens of other European Union countries, “adds Neela Winkelmann, head of the agency in Prague.
- PRAGUE TO ITSELF
- regional councilor
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author: PV