Matt Ingham, partner in the citizenship and immigration team at Payne Hicks Beach, said: ‘The world is about to witness a major refugee crisis in Europe as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
‘The government in Kyiv has said that between three and five million people could be forced to leave the country, with 1.5 million already internally displaced by fighting in the east of the country. Ukraine's Eastern European neighbours will feel the strain as citizens flee. That will lead to the inevitable overspill into the rest of Europe.
‘The UK government must act quickly to establish a bespoke settlement scheme for those fleeing Ukraine and avoid the kinds of problems and delays we saw from the evacuation of Afghanistan last year. It is currently difficult for Ukrainian citizens to seek asylum in the UK, and the fact there is a war currently underway does not give an automatic right to claim asylum in the UK.’
Ingham said: ‘The Nationality and Borders Bill, currently in the House of Lords, would make it even harder for those desperately fleeing Ukraine to come to the UK had it already been passed into law.
‘Our government must now take a different approach and play its part to avert a humanitarian crisis.’
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘We are gravely concerned by the news from Ukraine.
‘A clear principle of international law is that a state is prohibited from the use or threat of force against another state. We hope for a swift end to hostilities and our thoughts are with all those affected.
‘We are supporting and will continue to support our members in the region.’
Lawyers will also need to keep a close eye on client exposure to Russian sanctions, including in supply chains.
Pinsent Masons senior associate Stacy Keen, a specialist in sanctions, said any ramping-up of sanctions is likely to affect a far wider range of businesses than previous sector-based measures, hitting not just UK oil exploration and production companies but other strategic sectors such as the information, communications and digital technologies sectors.
‘Businesses should plan on the basis that the sanctions already announced are just the first wave,’ Keen said.
‘They should urgently be identifying not just Russian and Ukrainian business partners but also non-Russian/ Ukrainian counterparties that have a significant exposure to these countries.’
She warned that, in the event of wider financial sanctions, firms awaiting payment from those designated will have to obtain a licence, and the flood of requests may lead to delays at the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation.
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