“Disgraceful” Home Office delays for Ukrainian refugees seeking sanctuary in Sheffield, says MP

Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake has been contacted by up to 30 constituents who have sponsored visa applications through the Homes for Ukraine scheme but are still waiting for permission to travel letters from the Home Office. Some have been waiting for up to four weeks.

According to Home Office figures, as of April 19 only 200 visas have been granted under the scheme, following sponsorship applications from Sheffield people.

While official figures for the numbers of applications made in Sheffield have not been released yet, Ms Blake is concerned that the 200 visas granted represent only a small percentage of applications submitted.

Nationally, only three per cent of Ukrainians applying to sponsorship schemes have arrived in the UK, with 70 per cent still awaiting a decision.

Ms Blake raised this discrepancy in Parliament, asking what the Government was going to do to increase capacity in the system to ensure everyone who applies for a visa is able to travel to the UK quickly.

Ms Blake, who is vice chair of the all-party Parliamentary group on migration, said: “People’s lives are being put at risk because of Home Office errors and delays.

“Every day I have constituents getting in touch. Some have been waiting weeks without hearing anything, others have had their visas granted but their permission letters still haven’t been sent.

“The situation on the ground for people in Ukraine is dire. The Home Office must do more to speed up and simplify the process, so no one is left waiting weeks for emergency visas.

“My team has been working around the clock trying to raise each case with the Home Office, but we haven’t been getting anywhere over the phone or via email.

“Only by going to the Home Office representatives in Parliament have we been able to receive updates on visas and advise constituents. It shouldn’t be this difficult.

“People in Sheffield are doing everything they can to support Ukrainians fleeing, and Government incompetency is putting their efforts to waste.”

Jan Livesley, a resident who applied to be a sponsor, has encountered several problems and said it had been extremely stressful and upsetting.

“The visa office keeps claiming to be processing applications in date order, but this is not the case.

“More recent applications are now being granted before applications which were made in March.

“The Government helpline has no access to UK visa and immigration systems, meaning they are unable to answer even the most basic of queries.

“There is absolutely no way you can contact somebody about a specific case other than through a complaint. These then need to be escalated and sit in a complaints queue.

“Family applications are not processed at the same time as each other and are treated individually.

“We are hosting two mothers, each with a 15 year old daughter. In both instances letters of acceptance for the children have been received well in advance of anything for their parents.

“In one case we are still awaiting the permission to travel letter for a mother, after applying on March 22. We complained to the Visa office and eventually got a response saying they upheld our complaint.”