The UK’s leading scheme for welcoming Ukrainians has been called “heartless and inhumane” after visa officials demanded that a six-month-old baby be subjected to security scans 800 miles from home before being allowed to fly to Britain.
Olga Kolisnik applied five weeks ago to take her two children, Elijah, 11, and baby Maria, to the United Kingdom from their home in war-torn Kharkov, but the process was bureaucratic.
Kolisnik, a university professor, had originally been told by UK officials that her young daughter would be allowed to travel as she was added to her mother’s Ukrainian passport.
But two days later, she was informed by visa officials in Sheffield that this would no longer be acceptable – and that Maria would have to undergo a biometric scan 800 miles in Warsaw before she could fly to Britain.
The request was criticized as a “scandal” on Sunday, as the Guardian uncovered new examples of British bureaucracy preventing Ukrainians from escaping to safety. They include:
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Families who applied nearly five weeks ago but are still awaiting UK visas, despite the government’s promise to approve them within 48 hours.
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At least 14 cases involving nine adults and five children in which visas were approved but applicants were not notified. A family of a five-year-old boy was waiting in Kharkov while rockets fell because they were not told they had permission to fly to Britain.
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An 11-year-old boy waited so long that his passport expired – so UK officials asked him to start the process again and travel to Warsaw to undergo biometric scans.
Only 6,600 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK in the five weeks since the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which is about 10% of the number of applicants. The government says it has stepped up visa processing in recent days and says some applicants are choosing to stay in neighboring countries so they can return to Ukraine faster.
But leading charities, including the Refugee Council and the British Red Cross, said the bureaucracy involved was “causing great suffering to already traumatized Ukrainians”.
Kate Larmer, co-founder of a group that brought together dozens of Ukrainians with families in Surrey, said the UK was failing those in desperate need: “This is a scandal. We have families that could have moved to a safe place a long time ago. ”
Speaking from a village outside Kharkov that was the site of heavy Russian bombing last weekend, Kolisnik said he feared for their lives.
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She said: “While I am still in Ukraine, I will not feel safe. Somewhere near us I hear the noise of bombings and I am worried about my family and especially my children. My only wish is to get visas for me and my son and for Maria – that is my only wish. “
Kolisnik, 38, who taught economics at Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics before the war, said she was horrified to make the day trip to Warsaw without any guarantee that visas would be approved and she would have to return 800 miles to Ukraine. .
She said: “I am worried about going to Vac in Poland [Visa Application Centre] and that in the end they will just give up and then what will I do? This is my biggest fear.
“It’s very, very stressful because of this uncertainty. I don’t know how long we will wait. I would like to say that I want the United Kingdom to make this process easier, especially if people want to travel with young children like my daughter.
Kolisnik and her children live with relatives in a small house outside Kharkov, which borders the region where Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a new offensive last week.
Her sponsors are Andy Le Roux, a church pastor, and his wife, Kate Le Roux in Odiham, Hampshire. “It’s just heartless and so inhuman,” said Kate Le Roux, a biomedical scientist.
Le Roux, 45, said she was brought to tears after “rude” government officials refused to clarify the matter and even suggested that the family should seek refuge in a country with a better time than Britain.
A government spokesman said: “In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion, we have launched one of the fastest and largest visa schemes in the history of the United Kingdom. In just five weeks, more than 56,000 visas have been issued so that people can rebuild their lives in the UK through Ukraine’s family scheme and Homes for Ukraine.
“Our schemes in Ukraine have reached a turning point, thanks to the changes we have made to streamline the visa system, including simplifying forms and increasing staff. About 3,500 applications have been processed per day in the last few days, allowing thousands of Ukrainians to cross our unlimited routes.
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