Immigration lawyers who quickly set up an advice service to help Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK following Russia’s invasion have already taken on 100 cases, it has emerged.

The website Ukraine Advice Project UK was set up on Monday by lawyers Jennifer Blair, Miranda Butler, Simon Cox, Alex Piletska and John Vassiliou, supported by CJ McKinney of Free Movement.

Butler, a barrister at Landmark Chambers, said yesterday that volunteers have taken on 100 cases so far.

Piletska, an immigration solicitor at Turpin Miller, said: ‘We’ve linked up over 100 requests for free advice from Ukrainians fleeing the invasion with volunteer lawyers in just a couple of days but we need more volunteers if we’re going to keep this momentum going.’

The group stressed that volunteers will only be asked to take on one case in the first instance.

Responding to calls for visa requirements to be waived, home secretary Priti Patel told the Commons on Tuesday that the government could not suspend any security or biometric checks on people coming into the country.

She announced an ‘expansive’ Ukrainian Family Scheme that will enable British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring a wider group of family members to the country, extending eligibility to parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings, and their immediate family members. The scheme will be free. Those joining family in the UK will be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months, and will be able to work and access public funds.

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