Just one in five refugees given visas are in the UK

ONLY about a fifth of refugees who have been issued with visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme have arrived in the UK, figures show.

A total of 86,100 visas had been issued by Wednesday, the Government said.

But as of Monday just 27,100 Ukrainians had arrived in the UK, according to figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Home Office.

This includes 11,110 through the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship route – 21.6 per cent of the 51,300 refugees with visas granted.

Around 16,000 have arrived under the Ukraine Family scheme – 45.8 per cent of the 34,900 refugees issued visas. Overall, less than a third (31.4 per cent) of those granted visas under both schemes have arrived in the UK.

There are multiple cases where families are unable to travel to the UK because not all family members have received their permission to travel letters or visas. There has also been widespread concern about the length of time it has taken for visas to be issued.

Home Office minister Kevin Foster said suggestions that Ukrainian children are deliberately not being granted visas to prevent their families from travelling to the UK are ‘absolute nonsense’.

Speaking yesterday, he admitted that some individuals ‘get a decision shortly after others in their party’, adding: ‘But that is not deliberate.’

A government spokesman said: ‘We are processing thousands of visas a day – this shows that the changes we made to streamline the service are working.’