Only 2,700 visas issued to fleeing Ukrainian refugees under Homes for Ukraine scheme

Only 2,700 visas have been issued to fleeing Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme despite over 28, 300 applications being received, Home Office figures have revealed.

Releasing the latest data on Tuesday, the department said that – as of 29 March – a further 22,800 visas had been issued under the Ukraine Family Scheme out of 31,200 applications.

In total, 59,500 applications have been made across both schemes, with some 25,500 visas issued – meaning less than half have been approved.

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‘Shamefully slow progress’

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government has made “shamefully slow progress” on helping refugees flee Ukraine.

“British people [have] shown strong support but shambolic Home Office bureaucracy [is] letting everyone down.

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“Tens of thousands of visa applications are still outstanding. Just one in 100 Homes for Ukraine offers have visas.”

Meanwhile, in a joint letter to Priti Patel and Michael Gove, shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy called on the government to speed up the process.

It said the government must address the “shameful scale of bureaucracy” that is “preventing desperately vulnerable people from reaching sanctuary in the UK”.

It also called for clarity on the length of time taken for visas to be issued and how long security checks are taking.

The letter states: “While the response of the British public has been overwhelming, with more than 150,000 families signed up to open their homes, the system you have created is squandering that generosity and failing to deliver the support that our country rightly wants to provide.

“The government has known for months about the potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“It is therefore unacceptable that, more than a month on from the start of the conflict, there has been so little progress and there are so many people waiting in limbo before they can reach some security and support.”

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Sonya Sceats, chief executive of the Freedom from Torture charity, described the sponsorship scheme numbers as “woeful”, and called on the government to “cut the red tape”.

Later, at PMQs, Conservative MP, Sir Roger Gale probed the PM on how many Ukrainians have actually been brought to Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and urged him to “cut the red tape” to get the numbers of arrivals up.

Mr Johnson said the country is “processing thousands a day”.

Speaking at a parliamentary committee hearing this morning, Minister for Refugees Lord Harrington said progress was starting to be seen with the system thanks to changes the Home Office made to “streamline” the visa process.

He confirmed that the application form, which had formerly been reported to have been 150 pages in length, has been reduced to “around 30”, with questions relating to war crimes stripped out.

However, he added that ministers “need to do more and will be making further improvements to bring people to the UK as quickly as possible”.

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Minister for Refugees: Home Office working to ‘streamline’ visa application process

Lord Harrington also said that the UK government hopes to be processing 15,000 applications per week within the next few weeks with the backlog beginning to clear.

“I look forward to welcoming more families and ensuring they have the support they need when they arrive,” he told MPs.

Emma Haddad, Head of Asylum at the Department for Levelling Up, said the government is “ramping up” its processing of applications but admitted that it has been “very, very difficult” to set up a scheme in such a short space of time.

Ms Haddad said the government hopes to process 2,000 to 3,000 visas a day shortly.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme allows individuals, charities, community groups, and businesses in the UK to sponsor visas for Ukrainian refugees.

A website to allow people to register their interest in providing a home for at least six months was launched on 14 March.

Hosts will get £350 a month tax-free for opening their homes to refugees. So far, more than 150,000 members of the public have offered accommodation.

Ukrainians who arrive under the scheme will be able to apply for benefits and seek employment.

They will have leave to remain in the UK for three years and be able to access public services, such as the NHS and schooling.

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Ministers insist security checks are necessary

However, ministers have faced criticism for not publishing enough information about the initiative’s progress.

While other European countries have waived visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the war, the Home Office has maintained the need for a visa to enable security checks.

Former Conservative immigration minister Damian Green has called for an expansion of the scheme to include refugees from countries other than Ukraine – given thousands of Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover remain in temporary accommodation months after being evacuated from the country.

On Tuesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed he would be hosting a Ukrainian family as part of the scheme.

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