Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, is right to urge the home secretary to relax the “unnecessary, long, bureaucratic” visa scheme (Report, 3 May). Last week I saw first-hand a Polish humanitarian volunteer group at Lviv station bring Ukrainian refugees safely to a Polish coordination centre. They are supported to go to their desired destinations either within Poland or other western countries as though they are simply walking across a humanitarian corridor. Contrast this with the UK debacle for those trying to enter with a visa. While the Poles have gone to incredible efforts to support Ukrainian refugees, they cannot be expected to support everyone and not all refugee centres, and shelters are conducive to physical and mental health.
As a sponsor for the UK Homes for Ukraine scheme, part of my trip was to bring back to the UK two refugees who are currently in Warsaw. The applications were jointly completed in March and my DBS and checks on the house were completed within a week by Birmingham city council. Then the waiting begins. The UK delays are simply adding to the psychological trauma for the refugees who have escaped a war zone and chosen the safety of the UK, yet hear virtually nothing for weeks while other Ukrainian refugees are long embedded in new homes across Europe.
