UK visa process for Ukrainians needs improving – not scrapping

THE stories of frustration at attempts to bring Ukrainian refugees to Britain are a demonstration of failures at many levels. But calls to ditch the visa system altogether and declare our borders open, without any checks on who is coming in, are not the way ahead.

That is not to say improvements can’t be made. As Cornish writer Jane Finlay tells today’s Western Morning News, if it takes four people with university degrees some 11 hours to complete a form then the problem is not with the people filling it out, but the form itself.

The numbers coming to Britain – paltry in comparison to those finding refuge in other countries – tells its own story. We are simply not doing enough to help provide a safe haven for people in desperate need.

And that is not because people in Britain are less generous or less welcoming than those elsewhere. It is because those who want to help – and there are many – find themselves stymied at almost every turn. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and determination to be able to give a home to those displaced by war. It has to be made easier.

While the delays and bureaucracy provide opposition politicians with an easy way of kicking the Government and Home Secretary Priti Patel, the truth is more nuanced. Britain is a very long way from Ukraine and the people fleeing the Russian attackers are seeking a temporary place of safety, not a permanent new home.

For that reason, some will have applied for a British visa as an insurance policy, but are currently staying in countries closer to the Ukrainian border in the hope that if the fighting stops soon they can go home.

Britain has a long history of welcoming the persecuted to its shores and the individual stories of kindness reported day after day, as families open up their homes to Ukrainians seeking safety, are a testament to that quality.

So fears that the generosity of the British people is being “squandered” by needless hold-ups in the system are clearly justified. Home Secretary Priti Patel’s pledge to streamline the system is welcome. Her promise, that we will see more Ukrainians heading to Britain as the system is upgraded, will be the proof of that. We are watching and waiting.

But waiving all rules and opening the way for Ukrainians with no need of a visa creates as many problems as it solves. Britons are generous about giving a new home to those who are suffering, but the majority want to know who is coming and that they properly qualify for a place here.

There is nothing more likely to create opposition to providing homes for refugees than misuse of the system. And we know only too well the lengths criminal elements will go to to exploit any loopholes.

So far, of the 43,600 applications under the sponsorship scheme, 12,500 have been granted and of the 36,300 family visas applied for, 28,500 have been approved. Those figures could be better, but they do not show Britain to be a cold and uncaring place when it comes to refugees. Ms Patel must be as good as her word and improve on those numbers. But the checks ministers are imposing must stay in place.