Ukraine refugees struggling to settle in UK and at risk of exploitation

Ukrainian citizens who came to the UK under the government's flagship Homes for Ukraine scheme are struggling to settle and are at risk of exploitation, research shows.

Responding to a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Ukrainian refugees said they are struggling to find work, access education, and find rented accommodation.

Worryingly, a high percentage of people surveyed also indicated that they would not know what to do if they felt that they were being exploited in some way.

Settlement issues

The ONS data, released earlier this week, shows that 66 per cent of Ukrainian refugees are likely or very to be looking for work in the UK in the coming weeks.

Close to 60 per cent said that they have been unable to get work because UK employers do not recognise the qualifications they accrued in Ukraine.

One in five refugees, many of whom are single mothers, also indicated that they have had trouble getting a child into school, further limiting their ability to find full time work.

Six in ten refugees said that they are still living with sponsors eight months after fleeing the Russian invasion of their country and five in ten said they're unlikely to move out in the next month.

More than four in ten respondents to the ONS survey said they have had trouble accessing private, rented accommodation with half saying money is the main issue.

CARE concerns

Worryingly, when asked if they would know how to report exploitation, such as at the hands of a host or prospective employer, four in ten refugees said no.

When the Homes for Ukraine scheme was first established, CARE expressed concern that UK Ministers had not sufficiently thought through the long-term care needed for refugees.

With many struggling to find employment and independent living arrangements, CARE also fears that Ukrainians are at a higher risk of modern slavery.

Rebecca Stevenson, a trafficking policy expert at CARE, comments:

“There’s no doubt that schemes like Homes for Ukraine were a laudable response to the war in Europe, but implementation has been laden with problems since day one.

“Earlier this year, CARE expressed concern that there wasn’t enough thinking about long-term, holistic support for refugees, and especially measures to ensure refugees don’t fall prey to exploitation. The ONS data suggests that our fears have been confirmed.

“Access to legitimate employment, private accommodation, and other forms of support such as healthcare are vital for a group that are especially vulnerable. The longer refugees are unable to find legitimate employment and other services, the more at risk they will be to being drawn into modern slavery.

“It is especially concerning that the survey found more than four in ten refugees wouldn’t know who to turn to if they were being exploited. This information should have been a priority as soon as they arrived in the UK, given the propensity of foreign nationals to be preyed upon by traffickers.

“We call on the governments of the UK to think more about how to accelerate action on behalf of Ukrainian refugees and extend the welcome they truly deserve.”