The UK’s visa scheme is “taking so long” while Ukrainian families wait in conditions where an hour “feels like a week”, a couple offering their home to refugees has said (PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)When my partner Maria and I arrived in Poland we were exhausted — mentally, physically, and emotionally - but we were safe. We escaped Ukraine for Britain but, in the grand scheme of things, we’re amongst the few who have that option. I’m British, Maria is Ukrainian. Ironically, we left the safety and comfort of Gdansk in Northern Poland the day before the full invasion to return to Maria’s home in Kyiv. Maria had insisted that following Putin’s speech and claim of independence for the LPR and DPR that things wouldn’t escalate further.
The Polish people in Medyka generously not only fed and watered us but provided us with free transport as we made our way to the British Embassy in Warsaw. Here was where we would finally get an update on Maria’s visa application to the UK.
Don’t be fooled by any claims of generosity though. As Priti Patel’s Home Office has made abundantly clear, like a surly bouncer from a 90s nightclub - if your name’s not down, you’re not getting in.
We didn’t qualify for a Family Visa — of which only a few thousand people have so far had a successful application. As such, Maria had applied for a Visitor Visa some weeks earlier. This was the advice given by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Surely, taking into account the threat of war and subsequent invasion of Ukraine, these applications would have been expedited? Alas, no.
No one at the embassy wished to see us at that moment. Somewhat fortuitously, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Secretary of State for the FCDO Liz Truss were about to visit the Embassy to hold a press conference. Perhaps they wished to meet with us for a couple of minutes? Perhaps they wanted to hear about the ordeal of crossing a border in temperatures of minus four degrees with no food, water, or toilet facilities for twenty-three hours? No such luck. Their car whizzed by and beyond the fortified gates.
Eventually, we spoke with a man at the Embassy – operating a strict “no British Passport, no entry” policy – who said that he would look into our application and speak to the Home Office. My local MP Andrew Gwynne did the same.
As it happens, the visa had been granted (in theory) some time earlier. The paperwork, however, was missing in action. Perhaps it had been sent to the now-defunct Kyiv office. Maybe the Lviv office – which was now operating on a skeleton staff – had received it? No one appeared to know. Still, no one knows. The application was last seen as being ‘at decision making’ stage until the website that shows updates broke down altogether.
Many hours later, we received the call. A visa waiver had been granted. No paperwork. No stamps. But we were told that we could fly on a specific flight to Manchester the next day. The waiver was non-transferable so that flight it had to be. Would we have been so lucky without the support of the Embassy, my MP, and the media?
We had to argue with Ryanair, who couldn’t find the waiver on their system. We had to wait for nearly three hours as Border Patrol confirmed the waiver’s validity with the Home Office. And we were questioned by counter-terrorism police to confirm my partner wasn’t a terrorist. But we made it in.
Our experiences made us realise that it really, truly doesn’t have to be like this. Here we are, in the midst of a war, where the Home Office, it appears, would rather see the bodies pile high than offer a visa-free passage to the UK for Ukrainians fleeing for their safety.
For all the bluster about e-visas, online applications, and extended family, the fact remains that, as of now, there is no way for a Ukrainian, who has had their home destroyed, who wants to come to England because they know some English or maybe has a friend here, to legally enter the country visa free in order to claim asylum. The sponsorship route, which gives ‘matched’ Ukrainians a period of time to live and work in Britain will rely upon the community for support rather than the government, and entry feels competitive – even if that turns out to not be the case.
We were lucky that Maria’s name was on the list and grateful to all those who have helped, but so much more needs to be done.
