This is taken from the Church of England Ukraine Toolkit for Churches.
Even if you do not have a faith, you may find this of interest.
We cannot entirely separate discussions of supporting Ukrainian refugees from the wider context of the UK’s policies on asylum and refugees. The war in Ukraine represents a particular crisis, but there are many other vulnerable refugees in the world that we would hope to see the UK playing its part in assisting. Even as we are faced with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine we must remember that many of the Afghan refugees evacuated last year are still in hotels awaiting permanent accommodation solutions.
We believe that the purpose of the asylum system must primarily lie in providing a compassionate system that operates in the best interests of the vulnerable. The UK has prided itself as a welcoming refuge from tyranny and oppression and was historically instrumental in informing and drafting international refugee conventions.
We believe that a just and fair migration system must always be mindful of human dignity, and look in all cases to recognise the essential humanity of those seeking refuge in our country. Christian teaching reminds us of our obligations to one another, and a need to see in every individual not a case or statistic, but a child loved in the eyes of God and owed dignity and respect.
We are, therefore, concerned by the direction of travel in government policy on refugees and asylum. Proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill currently before Parliament would enshrine in legislation the existing two–tier system which divides the relatively small number of people who arrive in designated refugee resettlement programmes from those who arrive by irregular means, travelling across Europe to reach the UK and claim asylum. The latter, even for legitimate refugees, will be deemed inadmissible and the government will attempt to remove them to safe third countries (which may not even be a country to which they have a connection). If it proves impossible to remove them within six months, access to asylum will be provided, but only as a temporary status, up to 30 months, with reduced rights and benefits, regularly reviewed, and the threat of removal.
This is based on the assumption that legitimate refugees can and should stop in the first safe country they can reach. The Ukraine crisis gives a very clear example of why that approach might not be appropriate or sensible.
The UNHCR has said that these proposals “would damage lives, be hard to implement and undermine international cooperation on refugee issues”. The Church of England has expressed serious misgivings about the government’s proposals, and we would urge Christians with concerns to continue to advocate, write to their MPs and work to counter these proposals.
More immediately, while we of course welcome the government’s opening of new routes for refugees from Ukraine we do need to continue to press for support for those who are arriving. For example, many if not all of those coming here will have experienced serious trauma and will require specialist support, not all of which can necessarily be provided by willing volunteers. There will need to be help developed for seeking employment and support – particularly for single adult households with children.