London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Priti Patel faces legal action from Ukrainians stuck in visa backlog

Priti Patel faces legal action from Ukrainians stuck in visa backlog

Exclusive: Charities say Homes for Ukraine scheme endangers refugees, adds to trauma and needs overhaul
The UK home secretary, Priti Patel, is facing mass legal action over delays that have left thousands of Ukrainians at risk of trauma and Russian bombs, or in limbo in eastern Europe.

A class action lawsuit is being prepared on behalf of hundreds of Ukrainians who applied to travel to the UK weeks ago but whose cases have been stuck in a “chaotic” visa backlog, the Guardian has learned.

Charities including Save the Children and the Refugee Council said the Homes for Ukraine programme must be overhauled urgently as it was endangering vulnerable children and adding “trauma on top of existing trauma” since Russia’s invasion.

The chronic delays have been compounded by the Home Office approving many visas but failing to notify the successful applicants. The government admitted on Thursday it was aware of the problem after MPs from the across the Commons raised concerns about families waiting up to five weeks for news of their application.

According to the latest government figures, 59,000 people have had visas approved but have not yet arrived in the UK. Only 15% of the 74,700 Ukrainians who applied under the sponsorship route have made it to Britain.

A large number of those who have not yet arrived will be people waiting for other family members to receive their visas before travelling; children’s applications usually take longer because the UK requires them to undergo security scans if they do not have their own international passport.

However, a significant proportion of the 59,000 Ukrainians will be people who have had visas approved but have not been informed of the approval.

Amanda Jones, an immigration and public law barrister, has been instructed to launch legal proceedings on behalf of “many hundreds” of Ukrainians, in litigation organised by members of the groups Vigil for Visas and Taking Action Over the Homes for Ukraine Visa Delays. This could include mounting a judicial review case against the Home Office.

Legal action is also being prepared on behalf of lone children who have been unable to access foster placements set up for them in the UK due to the visa delays.

Anaïs Crane, a case worker at Wilsons Solicitors who is working with Here For Good Ukraine Project and representing several unaccompanied Ukrainian children, said they had been waiting longer than a month for a decision and were starting to give up hope. “Many of them are now considering returning to Ukraine due to their precarious situations in Europe,” she said.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, described the delay between visas being approved and sent out as “inexplicable and disgraceful” and urged the Home Office to disclose how many people had been affected and what steps it was taking to address the problem.

She added: “For families who have already fled war zones to then be stuck in limbo even longer because the Home Office can’t even get its act together to notify people when the visas have been granted is appalling. Long delays are making families more vulnerable to exploitation.”

Kirsty McNeill, an executive director at Save the Children and a former Downing Street adviser, said the red tape was increasing the danger for some of the 1.5 million children who had fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on 24 February.

She said: “Part of [the government’s] argument for the bureaucracy and the slowness is that it is keeping people safe. But actually it’s a lack of pace that is endangering children more than anything.”

The chief executive of the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, said stories of women and children being stuck in dangerous situation were the “dreadful but inevitable consequence” of an approach that was “flawed from the start”.

He said: “Responding to what is clearly a serious humanitarian crisis with two visa routes … was always going to result in paper and bureaucracy being put before people and their needs. Tragically, we are now witnessing the fallout of that approach.”

The International Rescue Committee said the UK was “an outlier” in Europe for requiring those fleeing war to apply for visas before they arrive. Ireland, which does not require visas for arrivals, has taken in roughly the same number of Ukrainians as the UK despite its population being a thirteenth of the size of Britain’s.

A government spokesperson said: “In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion we launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history. Over 86,000 visas have been issued so Ukrainians can live and work in the UK.

“The changes the Home Office has made to streamline the visa system, including simplifying the forms and boosting staff numbers, are working and we are now processing visas as quickly as they come in – enabling thousands more Ukrainians to come through our uncapped routes.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×