War in Ukraine: More than 2,100 refugees came to NI

More than 2,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Northern Ireland under government assistance schemes for refugees since the war broke out exactly a year ago.

The figures were released by Stormont's Executive Office on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

It also confirmed to BBC News NI that more than 7,000 Northern Ireland properties have been offered for use under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

But only 9% of those properties are currently being used to house refugees.

Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war can move to Northern Ireland under two separate refugee programmes that were introduced by the UK government last March.

Under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, refugees can stay in the home of a Northern Ireland sponsor for at least six months, or longer by mutual agreement.

There is also the Ukraine Family Scheme where refugees can apply to live with a family member who was already based in the UK.

To date:

That means in total, 2,131 Ukrainian nationals arrived in Northern Ireland through government refugee schemes after the war broke out on 24 February 2022.

Since the Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched, thousands of Northern Ireland households have offered spare rooms or stand alone accommodation for refugees.

The Executive Office has confirmed:

The Executive Office did not comment on why so few of the homes that were offered over the past year are currently hosting Ukrainians.

However, as hosts were initially required to make their accommodation available for six months, it could be that many sponsors simply left the scheme at the end of that period.

In other cases, it could be that refugees decided to move out or that the properties did not pass inspection as suitable accommodation.

In terms of geographical spread, sponsors in the Belfast City Council area have welcomed the highest percentage (15.7%) of Ukrainian refugees.

They were followed closely by hosts in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council area who make up 14.5% of sponsorships.

The lowest uptake has been in the Fermanagh and Omagh Council area, which accounts for 5.7% of all Ukrainian sponsorship arrangements.

Ukrainians who are successful in their visa applications have to right to stay in the UK for a period of three years.

During that time, they have the right to work and access public services like healthcare and education.

According to the latest available figures from Stormont's Department of Health, 2,308 patients "with an origin stated as Ukraine" were registered with a GP in Northern Ireland by 31 January 2023.

However, a departmental spokesman advised that figure also includes a small number of Ukrainian patients who were living in Northern Ireland before the war started.

Many of the newly-arrived patients will face language barriers when using health services.

To assist, there are 14 Ukrainian interpreters currently registered with the department's Business Services Organisation for work within the health and social care sector.

The priority of many refugees was to get their children to safety from bombing which has cost thousands of lives and destroyed much of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

By the start of this week, a total of 269 children from Ukraine had enrolled in schools in Northern Ireland, according to the Education Authority (EA).

The EA figures relate to school-aged children only and does not include babies and toddlers who may soon need a place in a local classroom.

It pointed to previous Stormont data that showed 585 Ukrainians aged from birth to 18 had arrived in Northern Ireland by December 2022.

In terms of extra resources, the EA said: "The Department of Education has received funding to be directed toward additional educational support for children arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is in discussion with the EA on its allocation.

"As part of this exercise, schools and early years providers will be canvassed to arrive at a definitive number of children enrolled across all provision and allocate funding accordingly."

The UK government has previously said it is "enormously grateful to all those who have volunteered to share their home with Ukrainian people fleeing war".

Most Homes for Ukraine sponsors are eligible to receive a "thank you" payment of £350 per month from the government when they agree to host Ukrainian refugees.

This money is often needed to cover hosts' additional costs, such as higher electricity or heating bills.

To date, more than £1m has been paid out to Northern Ireland hosts.

The Executive Office confirmed that up to and including 23rd February 2023, the total amount now stands at £1,184,750.

Although hosts were asked to commit to a six-month sponsorship initially, some arrangements ended prematurely.

However, this does not always mean the relationship between host and guest has "broken down," according to the Executive Office.

It explained splits can happen for a variety of reasons "for example, moving to be closer to work or school, hosts' circumstances changing, etc".

In those circumstances, refugees can choose to enter the private rented sector or ask to be re-matched to an alternative host by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

"To date 96 rematches have been completed with 34 requests ongoing," the Executive Office said.