Wellington, March 15 : New Zealand government has said that it will offer 4,000 special visas to Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country in the wake of the Russian attack on Ukraine, if they have a family in the southern hemisphere nation, Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday. New Zealand Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said it was his country’s largest special visa category in decades in support of an international aid effort. Explaining the scheme Faafoi said, “It’s a two-year visa to help people escape the current conflict and to shelter here in the hope they can return home when the war ends”. Under the programme, “For one year, the estimated 1,600 Ukrainian-born citizens and residents in New Zealand will be allowed to sponsor family members for the special visa, under which they will be able to work in the host country”. Relatives included in the scheme include parents, grandparents and their adult siblings or adult children and their immediate family who have fled Ukraine. According to the UN over 2.8 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24. ACL1303