12.02.2025 11:11
A British court granted the right to live in the UK to Palestinian refugees who applied through the Ukraine Family Scheme. This decision was made despite warnings from the Home Office lawyers. It stated that the conditions of the Ukraine Family Scheme were most suitable due to the daily threats to their lives in the refugee camp where the family resides.
Palestinian refugees have been granted the right to come to the UK under the Ukraine settlement program - The Home Office warned that this decision could 'open the doors'
A court granted the right to live in the UK to Palestinian refugees who applied through the program created for Ukrainians fleeing the war against Russia.
A six-member family from Gaza - a mother, father, and four children aged between 7 and 18 - applied to the Ukraine Family Program to join their siblings already living in the UK, but the Home Office reportedly rejected their applications.
An immigration judge has now ruled that this rejection violated the family's human rights.
According to the Telegraph, this decision was made despite warnings from Home Office lawyers that it could lead to the 'acceptance of everyone from conflict areas with family in the UK.'
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated that this is an example showing that decisions about who can live in the UK should not be left to individual judges but should be made by Parliament, necessitating changes to human rights laws.
The family indicated that they were most suitable for the Ukraine Family Program due to the daily threat to their lives caused by the destruction of their home in an airstrike and further attacks in the refugee camp where they lived.
The program allowed Ukrainians and their family members to seek refuge in the UK if they had a UK citizen or a relative settled in the UK.
The program ended last February, nearly two years after it was established in March 2022.
The family reportedly argued that their application submitted in January 2024 should be accepted despite conflicting with program rules due to their 'compelling and humanitarian' circumstances.
An immigration court initially rejected the request on the grounds that the program created for Ukrainians could not be applied to the Palestinian family's situation.
The judge ruled that Parliament should decide which countries' settlement programs would be utilized.
However, this decision was overturned by High Court judge Hugo Norton-Taylor.
Norton-Taylor granted Palestinians the right to live in the UK with their siblings under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which regulates the right to family life.
It was reported that Judge Norton-Taylor stated that the family's 'extreme and life-threatening' situation outweighed the 'public interest' of the rules governing entry into the UK.
The Home Office stated that the decision does not equate to a settlement program for people coming from Gaza and that it would appeal similar requests in the future, like that of the six-member Palestinian family.
Shadow Minister Philp criticized the 'worrying and dangerous' decision in a statement to the Telegraph, saying it sets a precedent for 'anyone with a relative in the UK from any conflict zone in the world to come here.'