Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help ensure that Russian nationals seeking to avoid conscription can enter the UK.

The UK Government still operates visa routes for Russian citizens to come to the UK for a variety of reasons, such as to work, study or join/visit family members. Details about the routes, necessary criteria to satisfy, and how to apply are available on GOV.UK at: http://www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa.

The Home Secretary has powers in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 to impose visa penalties on a country where the government of that country: gives, or is likely to give, rise to a threat to international peace and security; results, or is likely to result, in armed conflict; or gives, or is likely to give, rise to a breach of international humanitarian law.

These powers have not been used against Russia to date but they are kept under constant review as part of the UK Government’s approach to the war in Ukraine.