Calls to widen eligibility for special Ukraine visas

Ukrainians seeking to leave the country's capital city, Kyiv. Photo / Bloomberg

There are renewed calls for widening eligibility - and more support - to help Ukrainian nationals get to our shores.

The 2022 Special Ukraine Visa was announced in March after Russia invaded Ukraine.

It was opened for a year and enables Ukrainian-born New Zealand citizens and residents in New Zealand to sponsor Ukrainian family members and their immediate family.

Successful applicants are granted a two-year work visa with work rights, and children are able to attend school.

When it was launched by former Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi, it was expected to benefit around 4000 people.

Figures from Immigration New Zealand show as of October 10, 1,001 sponsorship requests had been received, of which 991 have been processed.

Border and visa operations general manager Nicola Hogg said they had also received 1,174 visa applications.

Visas had been approved for 1,029 Ukraine nationals, and 374 people had arrived in New Zealand on this visa.

National Party immigration spokeswoman Erica Stanford. Photo / Mark Mitchell

National Party immigration spokeswoman Erica Stanford said she was expecting the number of visas applied for would have been “upwards of four thousand”, given the need.

She’s both surprised not many have arrived, but also not surprised given the conditions.

Stanford said from the Ukrainians she’s spoken to, the reason not that many people have turned up because there’s no stability or certainty for them here.

”So, if they come, what is their pathway to residence? Are they here for good? Are they here for a few years?“

”The second thing is around healthcare, and I know for a lot of the older parents who are coming here, they have realised if there is any health problems at all, or any health services they have to use, it’s on their children, or on their relatives in this country to have to pay for, because their visa doesn’t come with healthcare.

”I know a lot of those elderly parents are terrified they’d be putting a huge burden on their children and they don’t want to do that, so they’re not coming.”

Stanford said she had been calling all year to ensure these people get healthcare - hasbut said anyone over 18 should also be able to undertake tertiary study at domestic rates.

She said the criteria should be wider than just immediate family members to encourage more applications.

”Right from the start we were hoping the scope would have been a bit wider so aunties and uncles and nieces and nephews would be able to come as well.”

Stanford said the fact there had been just over a thousand applications indicates now is the time to widen the criteria to help get some more of those people in pretty desperate situations out here.

Kate Turska is an Ukrainian New Zealander who is speaking about the experiences of her family to increase Kiwis' support for those suffering since Russia invaded Ukraine. Photo / Alex Burton

Mahi for Ukraine’s Kate Turska said the reason the majority of people who had received a visa and don’t come, was financial circumstances.

”They know there’s no support in New Zealand for special visa holders, and they have to rely on their immediate family to support them, and they’re not always able to do so.”

She said there was also the matter of a ticket fare, and the ability to get here.

Turska said Mahi for Ukraine had established a trust where they try and fundraise to support the new arrivals themselves.

She said there are several things they’d like to see, including any access to services the Government generally provides to those with conventional refugee status.

Turska said support could be anything that helps these people to transition to life here - such as help with health or transport.

She said these people haven’t really thought about relocating here, they’ve had to do it due to the circumstances they’re in, so they’re not prepared.

An Ukrainian family of five arrives in Auckland in July after fleeing the war in their home country. Photo / Supplied

”They may not have the necessary language ability, they can’t access public funding to study, or confirm their diplomas of have any support for the job search.”

Turska says they feel there’s been “a bit of a fail” when it comes to policy implementation and they’d like to see the eligibility changed in two ways.

”You have to be of Ukrainian descent in the first place, and then you have to be a citizen or a resident of New Zealand, and then you can only sponsor your immediate family.

”We’ve heard from so many Kiwis who are not necessarily of Ukrainian descent who would like to sponsor some Ukrainians to come and they’re not allowed too.”

Turska said they would like to extend the pool of who would be eligible to sponsor, to any Kiwi who has a relation to Ukraine.

She said they also want the criteria for people who can be sponsored widened from just immediate family.

”We have a number of instances of people who turn to us and say ‘I don’t necessarily have immediate family in Ukraine, but I have a cousin or an aunty or an uncle or a nephew or a niece I’d like to bring over’ and they’re currently unable to, so we’d like to see them being able to do that.”

Turska said they met with Minister Wood in August with a number of requests, and they’re due to meet with him again this week.

Immigration Minister Michael Wood. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Immigration Minister Michael Wood said the Special Ukraine Visa was the largest special visa category New Zealand had established in decades to support an international humanitarian effort.

He said the community support model established reflected the requests from the community at the time.

”Since becoming Minister of Immigration, I have continued to engage with the Ukrainian community in New Zealand and monitor the outcomes of our policy to ensure it meeting the intent.

”I have also signalled to the community that I am looking to bring forward the policy review into early 2023.”

Wood said the numbers so far highlighted that a number of factors influence whether a person wishes to travel from Ukraine to New Zealand.

He said that includes that fighting-aged men cannot leave the country, Ukraine making considerable advances in the war, and a number of countries offering humanitarian support that were closer to Ukraine than us.

Wood said it was worth noting that the projections of families supported assumed that every eligible Ukrainian in New Zealand sponsored two individuals.

He said Immigration New Zealand continued to prioritise urgent visa applications from Ukrainian nationals, and expressions of interest under this visa category can be made until March 15 next year.

”I remain open to revisiting our setting if the situation in Ukraine deteriorates.”