Minister for Refugees

The Rt Hon Lord Harrington

12th April 2022

Dear Lord Harrington,

I am writing again as there has been little or no progress on many of the cases that I highlighted in my email to you last week. This includes the case of 2-year-old XXX and his mum XXX who are stranded in Warsaw until they can collect his visa and be given permission to travel. 

My constituent, their sponsor, has explained in her most recent email yesterday evening that:

"Just to confirm that we have had no further updates for XXX and XXX. What’s worse, they both fell ill, and are slowly running out of money in Warsaw. They told us today that they will need to look at other options than the UK (including going back to Ukraine) if their visas don’t come through this week. I am so angry and disappointed at how this scheme has been managed. The first rule of humanitarian aid is “do no harm”, but it has been so poorly managed that it has done more harm than good, by giving Ukrainian people false hopes and depleting their savings, when they were lucky to have some. Those who didn’t have savings abandoned a long time ago."

This case is far from isolated, and I've attached the most recent log I have of cases waiting for a decision. As you will see, most cases involve mums travelling with young children, and women travelling alone. These are traumatised people who are fleeing war and who have left their homes and belongings behind in the most desperate of circumstances. They cannot be expected to wait weeks and weeks in unsettled and unstable accommodation whilst the Home Office deliberates how best to tackle the backlog of applications.

It is now fast approaching a month since the Homes for Ukraine Scheme was launched on the 14thof Mach. The reality is that many sponsors who made applications on the 18thof March, the earliest point they could for many, are still waiting for a decision. I know that youhave spoken publicly about trying to achieve a 48 hours turnaround time. Yet this is simply not happening at the speed it is needed. Therefore, I reiterate the need for the Home Office to adopt a different approach and to waive visas and to undertake checks from within the UK. 

At present Home Office delays are leaving many vulnerable refugees in a more precarious position than is necessary, with trafficking risks for young women, risk of injury and death for those unable to leave Ukraine until a decision is made, and financial hardship and homelessness for many of those currently displaced and waiting. British people, including many of my constituents, are ready with open arms to welcome those fleeing Putin's war, yet the only barriers to reaching sanctuary in the UK are the ones created by this Government, and these need to be removed without further delay. 

Yours sincerely,

Copy of letter sent 4th April 2022

Dear Lord Harrington,

I am aghast at some of the delays and difficulties my constituents are experiencing with the Home for Ukraine scheme. At the end of this message I've highlighted some of the outstanding cases that are still waiting for decisions to be made, and I've also outlined below some of the problems my constituents have identified.

I note that over the weekend you stated publicly that your target is for visas to be issued "48 hours from when they download the application form to when they are given permission to travel", yet this is far from the case as things stand, and it urgently needs to be addressed. Many of the cases I've listed below are people who submitted their applications as soon as the Homes for Ukraine Scheme opened on the 18thMarch, or within a few days of the scheme opening. These are largely applications made by young women and mothers travelling with their children. The fact that two weeks on cases like this have not been processed and that vulnerable refugees remain living in third party countries, with many in hardship struggling to afford interim accommodation, is not acceptable. What we're seeing is not the response of a generous and compassionate Government supporting those fleeing war. It's the response of an inward-looking Government who are placing unnecessary barriers in the way of people in the most desperate situation imaginable. 

I would appreciate it if you would ensure that the individual cases listed below are resolved without further delay, and that the broader processing issues and problems are addressed, as you suggest you intend to do. Once more I implore you to consider replicating the EU offer, and to allow visa free travel so that people can join their loved ones and host families without the significant delays and problems they are experiencing. The problems with the scheme as things stand are so widespread, then I fail to see that your target of turning around all applications within 48 hours will be achieved. It's certainly not being achieved right now, and it's right now that refugees need urgent support. 

I recognise that it is essential safeguarding checks are made, but I'm hearing from young women, and mothers travelling with very young children who are in limbo and in a precarious position whilst they wait for visa decisions. This also presents a significant safeguarding risk, and if the Home Office cannot resolve the system issues and delays with the Homes for Ukraine scheme with immediate effect, I fear that there will be some consequences for some of those left in quite a perilous position who urgently need onward travel to the UK. 

Homes for Ukraine delays

I am in contact with constituents who submitted applications via the scheme as soon as the scheme opened on the 18thof March. I've been raising these cases over the MP hotline, and via the drop-in surgery in Portcullis House. Despite being told that cases are being processed in date order, many of the constituents I'm in contact with are being met with silence and their applications remain unprocessed. I am concerned that the scale of the Home for Ukraine backlog is significant if cases received on the 19thof March, and the 20thof March have not yet been processed.

Lack of printing facilities in Rzeszow

I am concerned to learn that the temporary visa application centre in Rzeszow is just for taking biometrics but does not allow for visas to be printed or collected there, meaning that applicants need to make a further journey to collect visas in Warsaw, or an alternative VAC elsewhere. When I raise this with the Home Office I was told:

"I can confirm that the temporary VAC in Rzeszow is just for taking biometrics but not for printing and collecting visas. This is so that those fleeing Ukraine into Poland are able to upload biometrics as soon as possible and to reduce the strain on the other VAC in Poland, Warsaw."

I appreciate that the VAC in Rzeszow was set up to help support people passing through with the intention of speeding up processes. However, the reality is that people are waiting days for an appointment in Rzeszow to enrol biometrics, and then face a further wait to pick up visas in Warsaw. This needs to be addressed immediately.

Delays with GWF numbers showing on Home Office systems

I have seen several cases where applications have been made online and the GWF reference cannot be found on Home Office systems for several days, and in a few cases for more than a week. I am concerned that system glitches and delays transferring data to Home Offices systems is causing some applicants additional and unreasonable delays getting their cases processes. Please would you urgently investigate this matter. Please would you also ensure that any cases affected by this problem are expedited to ensure that they are processed quickly from this point.

Funding for local authorities

I have been in contact with Brighton and Hove City Council who are doing what they can to help those arriving from Ukraine. Yet their job is made that much more difficult because of the lack of clarity coming forward from the Government about checks that need to be undertaken. Furthermore, my understanding is that local authorities have not received guidance on how and when the £10,500 per head payment is to be made to them. With local authority budgets already so stretched, it is vital that the Government ensures that they have adequate resources to support refugees who arrive in the UK, and that this funding is provided quickly and clear and timely guidance provided. 

Please would you urgently address these important points, and ensure that the cases highlighted below are processed without further delay and difficulty.

Yours sincerely,