Nicola Sturgeon has called on the UK Government to scrap visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens fleeing conflict with immediate effect.

In a tweet on Sunday, the First Minister said the Home Office must give entry now on humanitarian grounds “to any Ukrainian seeking refuge in the UK”, and to “sort paperwork later.”

She described the UK immigration system as “inhumane” and “indefensible.”

Ms Sturgeon pointed to Ireland, whose Justice Minister Helen McEntee said on Sunday that her department had reacted quickly to put in place a visa waiver scheme for Ukrainian nationals hoping to enter Ireland.

She later added: "Restricting to family members too limited & defining ‘family member’ so narrowly compounds this.

"@ukhomeoffice must lift visa requirement for all Ukrainians seeking entry to UK as other countries doing. Anything less is unacceptable".

 

Chief executive of Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) Sabir Zazai echoed the First Minister’s comments, saying: “The Home Office must act now.”

Mr Zazai said SRC is prepared to work with the Scottish Government, the Home Office, Migration Scotland and others “to reach a hand of friendship to those fleeing Ukraine”.

The SNP leader’s comments come as thousands of people took to the streets of Scotland to condemn Vladimir Putin’s aggressive invasion of its neighbour.

From Edinburgh to Glasgow, Oban to Orkney, campaigners across the country have shown their support for the citizens of Ukraine.

In a statement late on Sunday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed any Ukrainian person settled in the UK will be able to bring “immediate” members of their family to join them in Britain.

Downing Street said this will “benefit many thousands of people who at this moment are making desperate choices about their future”.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK has always welcomed refugees fleeing from war, but did not say how soon the country will welcome people from Ukraine or how many will be accepted.

Ms Truss has insisted her team is “urgently” looking at what more it can do.

The Herald:

The UK Government has faced intense criticism over its failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.

This morning, the Defence Secretary hinted that fresh measures to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion are likely to be introduced.

Ben Wallace said on Monday that the move to allow immediate family members to join Ukrainians settled in the UK is only a “first step” as Vladimir Putin’s assault continued.

Mr Wallace also dismissed the Russian president putting his nuclear forces on heightened alert as being a part of the Kremlin’s “battle of rhetoric” rather than a real threat.

With western sanctions biting, the Russian central bank was forced to sharply raise its key interest rate to save the rouble from collapse as the war worsened the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Mr Wallace said he does not doubt the UK would go further to match the “very generous” schemes that have helped in other conflicts.

“I think what I would say is, you know, our track record so far, both with Afghans and (the) Arap (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) scheme, and indeed with the Hong Kong nationals who were suffering persecution, has been actually very generous,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“So there’s no reason to doubt we won’t continue on that path.”

He said it was not yet clear whether the European Union’s approach would be to support refugees on the border, with the hope they would be able to return to Ukraine soon.

But he added that the UK response would be discussed at a Cobra meeting on Monday.