Young Ukrainians in the UK two years on: lives in limbo

Abstract

The project is underpinned by the need to evaluate the measures supporting young, displaced Ukrainian people. While young people constitute a large number of arrivals to the UK from Ukraine, there is little data about their experiences including education, employment, housing and social relations in general. Still, most of the young refugees would like to stay in the UK even when it would feel safe to return to Ukraine, as both our study, and the recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) demonstrate. Since 2022, many of the young Ukrainians have graduated from school, started higher education (HE) degrees or begun working, and are trying to build their lives in the UK. However, they face challenges from forced displacement, war trauma, and adapting to a new country. Despite their efforts, there is little indication that their social and intellectual contributions are adequately valued. Ukrainians have no certainty of their future life in the UK as neither the Ukrainian Family Scheme nor the Ukrainian Sponsorship Scheme (“Homes for Ukraine”) provide pathways for citizenship.