North Yorkshire families frustrated over "complicated" Ukrainian visa scheme

Many say the whole process is confusing and slow

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 31st Mar 2022

North Yorkshire families who are hoping to take in Ukrainian refugees say the 'complicated' visa system is an 'absolute joke'.

Many say they're getting tied up in red tape.

Suzanne Elizabeth from York has been matched with a young woman and her children but is losing hope they'll ever be able to come and live with her.

She's told us she's worried they'll be killed by Russian shelling before they got approval to travel to the UK.

In a statement the Government have said “We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.

“We have streamlined the process so valid passport holders do not have to attend in-person appointments before arriving in the UK, simplified our forms and boosted caseworker numbers, while ensuring vital security checks are carried out.

“We continue to speed up visa processing across both schemes, with 25,500 visa issued in the last three weeks alone and thousands more expected to come through these uncapped routes.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.