Since the beginning of 2025, the UK Home Office has begun systematically rejecting applications from Ukrainian citizens for permanent asylum, citing the "sufficient level of security" in the western regions of Ukraine, the BBC reports.
Ukrainians began receiving refusals with the new wording in May. Lawyers predict that the first appeals against these decisions will be considered by British tribunals in the fall of 2025.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of March 2025, 1,698 Ukrainian citizens had applied for asylum in the UK. 729 people received positive decisions, mostly in the form of humanitarian status. This status does not give the right to long-term residence or application for permanent residence.
At the same time, citizens who arrived under the Homes for Ukraine program can extend their residence permit for another 18 months free of charge. But even after 10 years of legal residence in the country, Ukrainians will not be able to apply for permanent residence - this norm was approved by the British government back in November 2024.
The new rules have drawn criticism from human rights activists, who point out that the war in Ukraine continues, and shelling and drone attacks are taking place throughout the country, including in the relatively "safe" regions referred to by the British Home Office.
