Ukrainian woman escapes ‘hell on earth’ in Mariupol – but family face immigration issues

Ukrainian woman escapes ‘hell on earth’ in Mariupol – but family face immigration issues

13 July 2022

A UKRAINIAN woman living in Ballynahinch is celebrating after being reunited with her family who endured “hell on earth” in the besieged town of Mariupol.

Iryna Johnston, her husband Jonathan and the couple’s two children, are overjoyed with relief after a near five-month battle to get her family out of the town which has been left devastated by Putin’s vicious military assault.

The Johnston family finally welcomed Iryna’s mother, Tarama, brother Alexander and his wife Olga into their loving arms and their home in Ballynahinch on June 27.

And while Iryna can finally heave a huge sigh of relief that her family is safe and well after surviving bombardment and severe, daily hardship since the Russian invasion began, they have the burdensome hurdle of visas still to battle through.

The trio made their way to Northern Ireland via an arduous and dangerous route, including a frightening initial leg right into the heart of the Ukraine’s aggressor’s seat of power in Moscow.

Their journey took them first by car – with bombed out windows – from the town of Melekyne, where they had taken refuge from the devastated Mariupol.

They then had to take a lengthy road loop around Crimea before heading on to Moscow. 

From there, they flew to Istanbul in Turkey and then proceeded on to their final leg to Ireland through Dublin.

But now their status in the United Kingdom remains uncertain, due to the vagaries of the visa system which has come under considerable criticism since the war began.

Local man Jonathan explained that when he enquired about visas for the trio he was assured that they could proceed to Northern Ireland and apply for them once they got here.

They were then obliged to get an official Home Office stamp at its branch in Belfast which would signal the start of the visa application process.

However, at the Home Office, Jonathan and Iryna were told that her status deemed her unable to help her family as she expected. 

“They said they had it on their system that Iryna doesn’t have ILR – indefinite leave to remain – and that she couldn’t sponsor them to stay,” he explained.

Jonathan stressed, however: “My wife is an Irish passport holder and the law states that she, like all the Irish passport holders in this country, have automatic leave to remain anywhere in the UK.”

He described the immigration system as “totally inept” given its failure to recognise this and said “it just shows you what a mess the immigration service is”. 

He declared: “This is completely wrong and just shows how terrible the visa system is here.”

Jonathan said the couple could have taken the Homes for Ukraine Scheme route to bring his wife’s family over, which offers a £350 payment to support to householders sheltering Ukrainian refugees in their homes.

“But of course we didn’t do that because they are our family,” Iryna explained. “If they had to go down that route, they would be subject to more bureaucracy and checks on their accommodation.”

The Ballynahinch couple have taken the family’s plight to Strangford MP Jim Shannon whom, they hope, will be able to iron out the glitches to let the family begin to put down roots in Northern Ireland.

In the meantime, Iryna says her mother and family are just so relieved and happy to be here.

“They say it is a beautiful place with lovely people and they are studying English every day,” she added.