Lyudmila misses her parents and longs to return home to Ukraine.
The war forced her to flee the country in 2022.
Lyudmila Kolesnik and her family
She was pregnant at the time, and waited until her youngest child was born to meet her husband.
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“I hope one day we can return to Ukraine“Especially me and my husband,” she told Sky News.
“I miss our roots, I miss my father and my brother.”
Lyudmila is among 200,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the country United kingdom On the various refugee plans since the outbreak of war.
They will all now be eligible to stay for an additional 18 months following the UK Government Extend the chart.
This means that Ukrainians who arrived almost two years ago can stay in the UK until September 2026.
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The Ukrainians offered to extend the visa
But while Lyudmila is keen to return home, she says she hopes her children can settle here.
“I think the best thing for the kids is to leave [Ukraine] “They are building their lives in this country,” she said.
The right of return is fundamental in international law, and the British government says it is providing certainty and stability for Ukrainians by expanding the scope of the scheme.
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Ukrainian refugees will continue to have the same rights to access work, benefits, health care and education throughout their stay.
Immigration lawyer Amer Rahman says the success of the scheme could be replicated with refugees from other conflicts.
Amer Rahman
He added: “There were crises in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria, but if you compare the policies that were applied towards those – let's say with Afghan citizens, the approach with regard to Ukrainian citizens was very flexible.”
“Often, when people are granted refugee status, they are eligible to apply for settlement status after five years in the UK.
“Many would rather stay here than return home because they have established a life here in the UK.”
Miroslava Ulyanina says the three-year plan is too short.
Miroslav Yulianina
“It gave me the possibility to officially remain in the UK, with permission to work, live, rent a flat and build my life within three years.
“It's looking pretty good, three years later, [seems like a] A long time ago. But time flies.”
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Miroslava says she will only return to “wonderful and peaceful Ukraine” and not forever.
“I'm waiting for the time when I can go to the airport, catch a plane, and without any problem, visit my family and then come back.”
