Tag: PRIORITY

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Britain suspends visa priority services  

On Monday, British Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and communities, Michael Gove, launched a webpage for sponsors to record their interest, ahead of Phase One of the scheme opening for applications…reports Asian Lite News

Amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) has decided to suspend priority and super-priority visa processing services for all applications being made from outside the UK.

Even “applications for study, work and family visas may take longer to process,” according to the UKVI update.

“UK Visa Update: UKVI is prioritising Ukraine Family Scheme applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, and so applications for study, work and family visas may take longer to process,” the UK embassy in India tweeted.

“UKVI are unable to offer updates on individual cases and please do not attend the VAC until you have been invited to do so. In cases of emergency please contact http://gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service,” the embassy said in another tweet.

On Monday, British Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, launched a webpage for sponsors to record their interest, ahead of Phase One of the scheme opening for applications.

According to a government release, the homes for Ukraine scheme will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK.

Phase One of the scheme will allow sponsors in the UK to nominate a named Ukrainian or a named Ukrainian family to stay with them in their home or in a separate property, the release said.

UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove said: “The courage shown by the Ukrainian people in the face of devastation caused by the invasion of their great country is nothing short of remarkable.”

“The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of helping others in their hour of need and our new Homes for Ukraine scheme offers a lifeline to those who have been forced to flee. I’m asking people across our country who can provide a home for Ukrainians to consider being sponsors,” Gove added.

Ukrainians arriving in the UK under this scheme will be granted 3 years leave to remain, with entitlement to work, and access benefits and public services. Applicants will be vetted and will undergo security checks.

ALSO READ-Ukraine envoy urges Britain to lift visa rules

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-Top News COVID-19 Europe

Germany allows everyone to sign up for jabs

Anyone in Germany aged 12 and above wanting to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 can now ask for an appointment with the end of the prioritisation of jabs, which had until Monday limited the inoculation to those over 60 and up and certain priority groups.

However, there won’t be enough doses for everyone just yet, dpa news agency.

Top German doctors and Health Minister Jens Spahn have urged people to be patient as the prioritisation ends.

At the same time, more than 6,000 company doctors are starting their own vaccination programmes.

The head of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, said that the lifting of vaccination prioritization would lead to disillusionment among many people.

“Disappointment and frustration are pre-programmed into the process, as not enough vaccine is immediately available,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

General practitioners also dampened expectations, with Ulrich Weigeldt, chairperson of the German GP Association, telling Funke Mediengruppe newspapers that “the vaccine is still too scarce, compared to the high demand, and will continue to be delivered too unreliably”.

So far, appointments for Covid-19 vaccinations in Germany had been assigned in prioritisation groups, which were primarily based on citizens’ age, previous illnesses and occupation.

Last week, the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab received the first authorisation in the European Union (EU) for adolescents and the German government decided that children over the age of 12 years could sign up for vaccination.

More than 15.6 million people in Germany have been fully vaccinated till date, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 18.8 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Almost 36.5 million Germans have already received at least one dose of a vaccine.

ALSO READ-Germany to lift vax prioritisation scheme

Categories
-Top News COVID-19 Europe

Germany to lift vax prioritisation scheme

Last week, the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab received the first authorisation in the European Union (EU) for adolescents…reports Asian Lite News.

Germany will lift its vaccination prioritisation scheme on June 7, making all citizens older than 12 years eligible to receive a Covid-19 jab, Minister of Health Jens Spahn announced.

The vaccination campaign in Germany “gained enormous speed” and the prioritisation would be lifted in order to “keep the momentum”, Spahn was quoted as saying at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.

So far, appointments for Covid-19 vaccinations in Germany were assigned in prioritisation groups, which were primarily based on citizens’ age, previous illnesses and occupation.

Last week, the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab received the first authorisation in the European Union (EU) for adolescents and the German government decided that children over the age of 12 years could sign up for vaccination.

Starting next week, company doctors will be more involved in Germany’s vaccination campaign and provided with around 700,000 doses of BioNTech/Pfizer in the first week alone, according to Spahn.



More than 15.6 million people in Germany have been fully vaccinated till date, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 18.8 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Almost 36.5 million Germans have already received at least one dose of a vaccine.

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