A couple who claim to be one of the first families to volunteer to host a Ukrainian refugee have warned that the scheme is "open to exploitation". They said that the woman they had sponsored was left to her own devices at a busy airport and little guidance was given about the scheme prior to her arrival.
Steph and Joe Venables welcomed Nataliia, a refugee from Chernivtsi in Ukraine, into their home near Wrexham at the start of April and say she has started to settle, learn more English and look for a job. They said they applied for the scheme within ours of launch and believe they are one of Wales' first host families.
But Mr and Mrs Venables are worried that the Homes for Ukraine system could be exploited by people with sinister intentions. Mr Venables said: “When she got to the airport, she came through the doors and could’ve gone anywhere. Nobody from the visa office or anything came through to check that we were who we said we were." Read more: 'I can give my Ukrainian friend and her five-year-old daughter a home and safety in Swansea but the system is slow and shameful to Britain'
