Andy Jones/BBCIn January visa changes which prevented Ukrainians from bringing their children to join them in the UK were reversed, giving hundreds of families hope they could finally be reunited.
Ivan Vitsyn and his wife Olesia Aladko had been preparing for months for their children to join them in the UK.
The family are from the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine, close to the Russian border, and had left their seven-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter with Ivan’s parents while they found a suitable home for them to live.
The parents – who came to the UK in May 2023 as strawberry pickers on seasonal worker visas – had planned to act as sponsors for their children under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows people in the UK to host those fleeing the war.
Originally living in a caravan, it was several months before they found a family home to rent.
But in February last year – without warning – the previous Conservative government changed eligibility rules so only British or Irish citizens or those with the right to live in the UK permanently could act as sponsors.
“We worked so hard to prepare to reunite with the kids and then overnight we were not able to,” says Ivan, speaking through a translator.
“The dream was shattered to pieces, we didn’t know what to do.”
Meanwhile, their children were stuck in Ukraine, living alongside the sounds of explosions, just 50km (31 miles) from the battlefield.
The pair tried desperately without success to find a British sponsor for their children.
Instead they were faced with scammers asking for thousands of pounds in exchange for their help.
Eventually they were put in touch with the charity Settled, which provides help to Ukrainians with the visa process.
The charity advised applying for a visa naming themselves as sponsors, despite the new rules, in the hope the Home Office would make an exception.
But their application was left in limbo, with no decision, so it could not be challenged.
“Every day we checked our email,” Ivan says, describing the wait as “painful”.
Family handoutThen in January, the government announced it was reversing the changes brought in under the Conservatives, so Ukrainians could once again sponsor their children to join them in the UK.
When Ivan and Olesia received an email confirming their children’s visas had been approved they were overjoyed.
“I cannot explain that feeling,” says Ivan. “It was the best feeling in the world.”
Settled has supported a number of Ukrainian families like Ivan and Olesia, who are now starting to get their applications approved.
But others hoping to bring relatives such as siblings or parents remain separated.
Although Ukraine has signalled its willingness to enter peace negotiations, with the US pushing for an end to the war, the UK has given Ukrainians the right to apply to stay in the country for a further 18 months.
While Ivan hopes his family can return to Ukraine one day, he adds: “Even if the war stopped tomorrow there is no certainty for our region.”
For Olesia, having her children with her means she can now start to rebuild their lives in the UK.
“There is probably no other feeling like having your children beside you. You don’t worry; you don’t start your day by reading the news about what happened in Ukraine, where there were attacks,” she says.
“You fall asleep peacefully and wake up peacefully because your children are next to you, and nothing else is needed.”
