Britain is only granting ONE visa for every TEN refugees applying under Homes for Ukraine scheme: Home Office has so far approved 2,700 Ukrainians for sanctuary out of 28,300 requests
- 28,300 visa applications under Homes for Ukraine scheme and 2,700 granted
- Further 31,200 applications under Ukraine Family Scheme with 22,800 granted
- More than 4m refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion on February 24
Britain has so far granted just 2,700 visas to Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme despite having received ten times as many applications, it has emerged.
Official UK figures showed there have been 28,300 visa applications received under the sponsorship scheme, plus a further 31,200 under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
Home Office officials gave the total number of visas issued as 25,500 – including 2,700 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and 22,800 under the family scheme.
The scheme opened on March 14 to allow individuals, charities and businesses to bring Ukrainians – including those with no family ties to the UK – to safety.
However, Britain retains a visa requirement on security grounds while other European countries have waived checks in response to the humanitarian crisis.
And the United Nations refugee agency said that a total of more than four million refugees have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its war on February 24.
It comes as senior Government ministers are to hold daily crisis meetings to get the beleaguered schemes for Ukrainian refugees back on track.
Ukrainian refugee Anna Zamostana, from the city of Buchach, volunteers at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre ‘Dnipro’ sorting out humanitarian aid for compatriots in Manchester yesterday
The UK Government set out details of the sponsorship scheme to help Ukrainian refugees
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Communities Secretary Michael Gove will chair the sessions with those running the widely criticised Homes for Ukraine programme.
More than 200,000 kind-hearted British families have volunteered to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the war, but many have been left angered and frustrated by swathes of red tape.
The latest figures on visa applications
- 4,000,000: Total number of refugees to have fled Ukraine
- 59,500: Total number of applications from Ukrainians for UK visas
- 28,300: Applications for visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme
- 31,200: Applications for visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme
- 25,000: Total number of visas issued
- 22,800: Visas issued under Ukraine Family Scheme
- 2,700: Visas issued under Homes for Ukraine
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, said today: ‘More than 150,000 families are offering to welcome refugees into their homes, but the Conservatives are offering only red tape and delays.
‘Their response has been appallingly slow and chaotic, leaving thousands of Ukrainians in limbo trying to get a visa. Ministers need to work harder and faster to match the compassion shown by the British public.
‘Ukrainian refugees should be allowed to come to the UK now, without first having to apply for a visa. And the Government should set up a fast, ambitious resettlement scheme, working with refugee agencies to bring Ukrainians directly to the UK.’
The Local Government Association said some Ukrainian refugees have been ‘presenting as homeless’, despite being part of the UK Government resettlement schemes.
Chairman Councillor James Jamieson told MPs on the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee: ‘One of the big issues we’re all worried about is people presenting as homeless.
‘The LGA did a survey last week of councils – we had 190 responses from councils with housing responsibilities, which is around two-thirds of authorities, of which 57 of the 190 said they already had people presenting as homeless.
Ukrainian refugees (from left) Anna Zamostana, Marya Vynnyshenko, Anna Vynnyshenko, 10, and Tanya Vynnyshenko volunteer at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Manchester yesterday
Ukrainian refugee children from Buchach volunteer at the centre in Manchester yesterday
‘That is 144 cases of homelessness – that’s 57 councils, 144 cases. I will make sure the data is correct and get that sent to you, but I’ll give it to you verbally.
Concert for Ukraine raises £12.2 million for humanitarian effort
A fundraising concert for Ukraine featuring Ed Sheeran and the country’s 2016 Eurovision winner has raised £12.2million for the humanitarian effort in the war-torn nation.
The two-hour Concert for Ukraine was organised to raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and its response to the Russian invasion.
Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran perform in the concert in Birmingham last night
The evening at the Resorts World Arena featured a star-studded line-up also including Camila Cabello, Anne-Marie and Gregory Porter – and was punctuated by short video pieces documenting the lives of displaced Ukrainians both inside and outside the country.
At the end of the night, the hosts announced that ticket sales, advertising, sponsorship and donations had led to the grand total, but it was expected to continue rising.
Sheeran took to the stage solo for a two-song set of his hits Perfect and Bad Habits. Between the tracks, he told the audience: ‘Thank you so much for coming. It’s such an important cause and I am so honoured to be here.’
He was forced to pause briefly as he began his second song, admitting light-heartedly ‘I’ve got the wrong guitar’. After making a quick change he resumed the show, to cheers from the crowds.
Pop superstar Cabello was backed by a string section for a performance of Coldplay’s hit Fix You before she was joined by Sheeran for a live debut of their new track Bam Bam.
‘Forty-four of which were from the family scheme, 36 of which were from the sponsorship scheme and 64 were from unknown or other.
‘We believe there is an element of people presenting as homeless because they are coming to Ireland and then, with the free movement, able to come to the UK, so that maybe an element of the unknown.’
Meanwhile the new refugees minister Lord Harrington is due to appear before MPs in the Commons today with an update on progress.
A Government source said that 300 officials were now working on processing the deluge of applications – including night shifts and weekend working.
Meanwhile, an extra 200 high-security ‘Firecrest’ computer terminals – needed to process the sensitive details – have also been deployed.
The process of approving applications has also been ‘redesigned’ to make it quicker, Whitehall sources said.
‘The Home Office is working flat out to streamline processes while maintaining vital security checks to make it easier for Ukrainians to come to the UK,’ the source said.
‘The number of visas being granted under Homes for Ukraine should start to ramp up at the end of this week.’
And the source insisted that the Government has still set up ‘one of the fastest and biggest visa programmes in British history.’
Earlier this week the Daily Mail reported widespread frustration and ‘growing panic’ in Whitehall at the slow pace of the Homes for Ukraine programme.
Now most of that irritation is being directed at Miss Patel’s department, which processes refugees’ visas and oversees the vetting of applicants.
One source said ministers were clear they ‘have to start delivering on this’, or risked alienating thousands of British voters who are desperate to help.
Lord Harrington told MPs two weeks ago that he expected ‘thousands’ of evacuees would have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme by now.
The number to have actually made it here has not yet been released by the Government, but is thought to be in the hundreds.
The Home Secretary has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining a rigorous visa application system for national security reasons.
Although the vast majority of people fleeing Ukraine are women and children, Miss Patel has said that it would be ‘naive and misguided’ to think Russian agents could not be among them.
Two Ukrainian children walk out of the customs office at Przemysl Glowny train station in Poland yesterday after disembarking a train from Ukraine to flee the Russian invasion
A Ukrainian family disembarks a train at Przemysl Glowny train station in Poland yesterday
A full Government-backed system to match hosts with evacuees is due to be announced soon.
But until then, volunteers can pair up informally with Ukrainians and include those details in the Homes for Ukraine online application form.
Hosts have been offered a £350-a-month, tax-free ‘thank you’ from the Government in exchange for taking in refugees for a minimum of six months.
The UK’s other visa programme, the Ukraine Family Scheme, allowing families to be reunited in Britain, saw a slow start but has now handed out more than 22,000 visas to evacuees.
How do I house a Ukrainian refugee, what if I don’t know their name, how long do they stay with me? Q&A on UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme and how YOU can help families fleeing war
– What is the scheme?
The Homes for Ukraine programme is a sponsorship scheme allowing people and organisations in Britain to offer Ukrainians fleeing the war a home in the UK.
The scheme allows individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to bring people escaping the war to safety – even if they have no ties to the UK.
Anyone with a room or home available can offer it to a Ukrainian individual or a family, though those offering will be vetted and Ukrainian applicants will undergo security checks.
People queue on March 12 to board a train in Zahony, Hungary, as millions of refugees flee
– How long can refugees stay with a family or individual?
Members of the public providing accommodation to Ukrainians must do so for at least six months.
Sponsored Ukrainians will be granted three years’ leave to remain in the UK, with entitlement to work and access public services.
– What security checks will be carried out?
Sponsors and all adults in their households will need to submit to security checks and possibly also safeguarding checks.
The suitability of the accommodation may also be assessed by their local council.
Ukrainians will be subject to ‘standard’ security checks, with biometric checks made after they arrive in the UK to avoid delays.
The Government has said steps will be taken to ensure people who might be ‘intent on exploitation’ are prevented from ‘abusing’ the new scheme.
– How are children going to be protected?
A spokesman for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said the charity did not want to see ‘unnecessary barriers’ built into the process, but ‘it is vital child protection is built into every stage of the Government’s and local authorities’ response to this crisis’.
Paul Anticoni, chief executive of World Jewish Relief, said the protection of those who have had to leave their homes – many of whom are women and children – ‘has to be a priority for any government or agencies that are involved in accommodation’.
Refugee children and their families arrive at Zahony train station in Hungary on March 12
– Is there any compensation for hosting – and what can you use it for?
Those offering a place to stay will receive an optional tax-free monthly payment of £350 which will not affect benefit entitlements or council tax status.
The ‘thank you’ payment is limited to one payment per residential address, and can be spent or saved as you wish. Hosts should not charge any rent.
The Government has also said local authority areas will be entitled to more than £10,000 per Ukrainian refugee using the fresh route to the UK.
‘Additional payments’ will be available to support school-age children who need to be accommodated within the education system, he said.
– Do sponsors provide anything other than accommodation?
Sponsors are not expected to provide meals or cover the costs of food and living expenses for their guests, unless they wish to do so philanthropically.
– Can sponsors help refugees find work and access services?
The Government will provide information to sponsors so that they can point their guests to organisations who can help them access benefits, register with a GP and with school placements.
All refugees will be allowed to seek and take up employment, and there is nothing stopping sponsors helping them find a job.
– Who can be a host?
Sponsors can be of any nationality and any immigration status as long as they have permission to be in the UK for at least six months.
Anyone with a spare room, or separate self-contained accommodation that is unoccupied and available for at least six months can volunteer to help.
Ukrainian refugees crowd into support points at Krakow train station in Poland on March 14
– Who can be a guest?
The website says someone is eligible if they are a ‘Ukrainian national or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national, and were resident in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022.’
The scheme is open for adults and children within family units.
– How do you apply?
If you have a named person who you wish to sponsor you should get in contact with them directly and prepare to fill in a visa application with all their details and yours.
– What if you don’t have a name to give?
People wanting to be sponsors who do not know anyone personally fleeing the Ukraine can register their interest here: homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk.
The Government will work with charities, faith groups and universities to match potential hosts with people from Ukraine – so you can still get involved if you don’t know anyone from the country.
Anyone registering will receive updates on the security checks, information on the status of the arrangement and the role of the local council in providing wider support.
People who fled the Ukraine war rest inside an old train station building in Krakow on March 11
– Can you host AND employ a refugee?
There is nothing in the Government’s FAQs on the scheme which say you cannot host and employ a refugee, so it would appear that you can – for example if you run a small business.
However, to be sure, MailOnline has contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities for clarity on this.
– What rights will Ukrainian refugees have?
Refugees will be granted leave to remain in the UK for three years. They will be able to work and access benefits and public services – including healthcare and schooling.
– What rights will you have if there are problems?
A change in circumstances could mean that someone is then unable to continue housing someone for the full six months.
A Government source told the Daily Telegraph that the state would get involved if a refugee has to find other housing earlier than the six month period, and that this could then be taxpayer-funded.
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