Waiting hosts plea for cut in refugee red tape
KIND-HEARTED Britons who have offered to open up their homes to refugees are “frustrated” by the delay in granting visas, according to a charity boss.
Social entrepreneur Dr Krish Kandiah said people have been mobilised to offer unprecedented hospitality to those Ukrainians displaced by the war.
But red tape in filling out visa applications is leaving many hosts frustrated by the slow process.
Dr Kandiah set up the Sanctuary Foundation with charity Reset Communities and Refugees when the Government announced its Homes for Ukraine scheme.
He polled 4,500 people who had pledged to host refugees, and despite them wanting to welcome the strangers into their homes, just seven had been able to.
The Sanctuary Foundation’s aim was to be “a cheerleader” to help the scheme be as successful as possible, he said.
It aims to support would-be hosts by offering training and know-how from people who have already hosted families.
It also provides mental health trauma specialists, and aims to aid the Government by offering its expertise in helping refugees.
‘Turn the anger into solid action’
Up to four million Ukrainians have already fled abroad.
The latest figures show more than 150,000 people in the UK have applied to offer shelter under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, while 34,500 households have applied to bring refugees to the UK via the Ukraine Family scheme.
Dr Kandiah said: “In the big picture it is working because an uncapped refugee sponsorship programme is unheard of in recent UK history.
“When we are talking about Syrian sponsorship, Reset did 150 family sponsorships in five years.
“So the fact we had something between 150,000 to 200,000 coming forward to offer some form of sponsorship is a game changer.
“That we have mobilised civic society is a step forward, offering unprecedented hospitality to Ukrainians.
“Now, is it working as quickly as we would like? No.
“A lot of us really want to welcome Ukrainians as soon as possible. Our family have signed up as sponsors.
“Everyone is frustrated that the visa process is complicated. It’s a 54-page document, it’s in English.
“People are being asked to supply documents that most of us would not have thought to bring with us. So it’s tough, it’s hard.
“But on the other hand the Government, as far as I can see, is working around the clock to try to deliver something and my job is how can I help them.
“It’s all hands on deck. We recognise that when you are doing something at the pace and scale we are talking about, it is not as neat and tidy as we would like it to be.
“But I would say that, overall, it is working and I am trying to be as patient as I can be and turn my frustration into some positive energy.”
The Sanctuary Foundation was set up before the Government launched the official site for hosts to sign up but allowed people and organisations to express their interest in helping refugees, he said. Since then it has received 29,607 pledges, including 25,682 from individuals, 1,931 from churches, 786 neighbourhood groups, 508 from businesses, 29 from universities and 122 from schools.
In a video to supporters, he said: “This sense of anger, impatience and disappointment is really tough to live with, I know, but imagine how hard it is for those we are trying to help. Hang in there, be patient, turn that anger and frustration into solid action.”
A spokesman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the first visas were granted last weekend and it will set out full details of the visas granted through the Homes for Ukraine scheme this week.