Visa delay a disgrace

AT the outset of the war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people across Britain offered to open their doors to those forced to flee Vladimir Putin’s aggression.

That outpouring of kindness then met the cold-hearted officialdom of the UK Home Office. As we report today, thousands of Ukrainians are still waiting to receive their visas in order to enter this country.

The system is so complex and cumbersome that in some cases, visas have been granted to parents but not their children.

Other families, who have waited weeks for their applications to be processed, have been told to reapply because it might be quicker.

Whether by accident, incompetence or design, the UK has constructed a system that appears to deter rather than welcome applicants. There is no understanding that people have left their homes in the most terrible of circumstances or that the failure to grant them a visa could force them to return to a warzone.