London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 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
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
×