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Politicians have unanimously backed a proposal to help more Ukrainians flee to safety with their island families.
All 45 Members in the Assembly on Thursday morning backed a proposal by Deputy Jess Perchard, which officially recorded the island’s will to help the families of Ukrainians already based in Jersey.
Jersey currently has to follow immigration rules set by the UK Government.
The proposition also calls on the External Relations and Home Affairs Ministers to liaise with the UK to ensure that its definition of ‘relative’ should be expanded from immediate to extended family members.
Today, this has been updated by the UK to include nieces, nephews and other relatives of close family, and it will apply in Jersey, but Deputy Perchard said that she would like to see it extended further to include, for example, aunt and uncles.
She added that other nationalities displaced by the invasion should also be allowed to come to the island temporarily.
She said that her proposition gave the Assembly the opportunity to "make its ambitions known" and gave a mandate to ministers to negotiate “a Jersey solution for Jersey residents and their families” if Jersey’s and UK's needs diverges at any point.
Pictured: Deputy Jess Perchard said that her proposal gave Ministers a mandate to act.
This could be the case, she said, as family members would be able to reach the island through France, which is part of the Schengen zone, in which Ukrainians can stay and travel through for 90 days.
Speaking during the debate, External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said that Jersey immigration officers had been able to meet every request so far from residents for family members to come to the island, using existing visa arrangements and under new criteria brought in by the UK Government.
He said that he and the Home Affairs Minister fully supported the proposition, and they would continue to liaise with UK authorities.
He added that, although some refugees arriving in Jersey would live with family members, others would not be able to.
“Let us be clear, some individuals will require accommodation and financial support,” he said. “If we are committed to standing by UK and playing our part, we must provide for them.”
The Minister said that a working group had already been set up to address that and its work was well advanced.
States Members also approved an amendment by Deputy Jeremy Maçon which added detail to Deputy Perchard’s, including requesting that the External Relations Minister works with the UK authorities to make arrangements for the longer term settlement of any Ukrainian people that temporary visas are issued to.
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