Interior Minister Priti Patel could face a lawsuit over delays in issuing visas to fleeing Ukrainian refugees – with those hoping to offer homes left “disappointed and confused” by the long process.
Potential sponsors of the Homes for Ukraine scheme are threatening the government with a class action lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees who have spent weeks waiting to come to the UK.
They say there have been “excessive and unjustified delays” in processing visa applications in March.
Data collected by prospective hosts and shared with the PA news agency last week show that at least 800 Ukrainian refugees are still awaiting visas after applying in the first two weeks of the scheme’s inauguration.
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Visa delays are “unreasonable”
Vigil 4 visas and action on homes in Ukraine. Visa delays for Ukraine, the groups behind the action say the delays have put those in Ukraine at risk and put “significant pressure and pressure” on hosts in the UK.
The group’s lawyers plan to send a letter of preliminary action to the Interior Ministry this week asking it to “resolve the endless confusion and entanglement” and then apply for a judicial review of the government’s visa processing policy.
This comes when Boris Johnson acknowledged that the United Kingdom may have been able to process visas for fleeing Ukrainian refugees more quickly.
“Well, we have done a huge amount to help Ukrainian women and children in the area, but now we see a large number coming to the UK,” he told ITV’s Good Morning UK.
“So far, 86,000 visas have been issued and 27,000 are already here, and I want to say ‘thank you’ – 27,000 are many and growing rapidly, and I want to pay tribute to all those who help take care of Ukrainians.
“Could we do it faster? Yes, maybe we could.”
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2:21 The problems with visas for Ukraine in the UK continue
“Potentially catastrophic situation”
The legal letter sent to the Interior Ministry by the groups will highlight 10 cases of Ukrainians still awaiting their visas after applying in the days following the first opening of the Homes for Ukraine scheme on March 18th.
The lawsuit is being prepared by Amanda Jones, an immigration and public law attorney.
Ms Jones told Sky News that she knew of less than a thousand statements made before March 31 that remained unresolved.
The manner in which the program is implemented is also contested.
The government has faced criticism since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that it has not accepted more refugees.
Initially, only those with relatives were eligible to apply for a visa. Then the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme was launched – through which people can sponsor refugees they do not know.
This legal action is specific to people trying to take in refugees under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
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3:02 People seeking visas for Ukrainian refugees in the United Kingdom told Sky News that the process was disappointing and slow.
The visa issuance process is “meaningless and unjustified”
Catherine Klinger, who lives in London, is one of the cases mentioned in the preliminary action letter that is being prepared and is part of the Vigil for Visas campaign group.
She says she has applied for eight extended family visas in western Ukraine – which includes offering a home to the family’s grandparents, their two daughters, their partners and two children – on the first weekend the scheme started on March 18th.
But so far she has received only part of the visas for the group – including her grandfather; one of the children and a man from the family who is of military age, so he is not allowed to leave.
As a result, the family wants to reunite, so it is still in Ukraine.
Ms Klinger described the delays as “soulless” and “unjustified” and said of the family waiting in Ukraine: “They are very modest people and would not dream of complaining. They are quietly waiting, but they are scared. “
She told Sky News that the lawsuit “could be a way to unlock the congestion that obviously exists with visas.”
“All we want is for the interior ministry to be legally responsible for issuing the approvals in chronological order,” she said.
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6:12 Labor calls for “emergency visas”
The crossings of small boats put pressure on Patel
A government spokesman told the PA: “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. More than 86,000 visas have been issued to allow Ukrainians to live and work in the United Kingdom.
“The changes the Interior Ministry has made to streamline the visa system, including simplifying forms and increasing staff numbers, are working and we are now processing visas as fast as we can – allowing thousands more Ukrainians to cross our unlimited routes.”
This comes as the Secretary of State is also facing increasing pressure on the growing number of crossings in the English Channel.
Another 293 migrants were spotted crossing the English Channel yesterday, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Defense – while 254 were found on Sunday.
This means that 7,240 people have reached the United Kingdom since the beginning of the year – more than three times more than the same period in 2021.
Ongoing efforts by migrants to reach the UK by small boat have raised questions about whether the government’s new policy on deporting migrants to Rwanda will be effective as a deterrent.
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