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Tens of thousands of Ukrainians and Hong Kongers seeking safety in the UK have been an granted extended stay after safe routes were expanded.
More than 147,000 refugees from the two countries have been approved for visa extensions after arriving on the legal pathways set up to help them, data from the Home Office shows.
Minister for migration and citizenship, Mike Tapp, said the new figures showed that “Britain has a proud tradition of offering sanctuary to those in need”.
He told The Independent: “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Hong Kongers fleeing war and repression are now safe in this country.
“This government is committed to an asylum system that is both compassionate and controlled. We are providing protection to those at risk, while bearing down on illegal migration and restoring order at our border.”
Despite the move to expand legal routes for these refugees, many Ukrainians have reported struggling to find work or study opportunities because of the short-term nature of their visas.
One Ukrainian scientist and professor, Kristina, who arrived in the UK with her daughter in 2022 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme said her daughter had struggled applying to universities due to their uncertain visa status.
She told refugee charity the British Red Cross how their visa was due to expire in June 2025 but an extension application could only be submitted one month before it ended. When her daughter applied to universities in January-February 2025, Kristina was repeatedly told that, without confirmed visa status beyond June, universities were unable to proceed with offers.
She ended up obtaining a Global Talent visa, which allows foreign nationals to work in academia, the arts or technology. This has provided more stability but means that her daughter will now have to pay higher tuition fees for international students – something she would have avoided on a Ukrainian visa.
Under the current rules, Ukrainians in the UK, or their family members, who are here on one of the existing legal routes, can apply to extend their stay by 18 months. After that, they can also apply for a further one-year extension.
Earlier this year, the government also expanded the routes for Hong Kongers to come to the UK, with an estimated 26,000 people expected to arrive over the next five years.
Hong Kongers are also exempt from Shabana Mahmood’s controversial changes to settlement, and will be able to apply to stay in the UK permanently after five years rather than the longer 10 year route for other foreign nationals.
More than 230,000 visas have been granted to Hong Kongers wanting to move to the UK, with around 170,000 people building new lives in Britain, the Home Office said.
Separate figures show that more than 312,000 refugees, migrant workers and their dependents applied for British citizenship in the year to March, analysis of government data by The Telegraph shows.
Dr Nuni Jorgensen, of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the increase in people applying for citizenship could be driven by the government’s plans to restrict who can apply for permanent settlement and citizenship.
Under Ms Mahmood’s changes, refugees will receive temporary leave to remain in Britain and will have this reviewed every 30 months. But those who have accessed benefits after being granted limited leave to remain may have to wait 20 years or more before they can apply to permanently stay in the UK.
The government is consulting on the changes to settlement, with some Labour MPs pushing for concessions after news that net migration figures fell to the lowest level since the Covid pandemic.
