London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Ukrainian refugees with UK relatives frustrated by Home Office visa delays

Ukrainian refugees with UK relatives frustrated by Home Office visa delays

People who have applied to join relatives in the UK face long waits for visa approvals

Ukrainian refugees waiting to travel to join relatives in Britain have voiced frustration at the length of time the Home Office is taking to process UK visas, despite government promises to streamline the system.

As the Homes for Ukraine scheme launched on Friday, allowing UK residents to sponsor visas for non-family members, Ukrainians who had already applied to join relatives in Britain under an earlier scheme expressed dismay at the long waits for visa approvals.

At least 43,000 have applied for Ukraine family scheme visas and are waiting for their applications to be approved. Many of them are staying in hotels in countries bordering Ukraine, repeatedly checking their emails to see if visa clearance has been granted.

Taitiana Dembicka, 73, a retired university administrator from Kyiv, has changed hotel in Bucharest six times in the past seven days as she waits for a visa to allow her to travel with her son, Eugene, a British citizen, to his home in the UK. Many of the city’s hotels are crowded with refugees and they have struggled to find somewhere to stay for more than one night.

Her application was submitted two weeks ago, on 4 March. When staff in the office of Eugene’s local MP, Lucy Frazer, asked the Home Office why the process was taking longer than anticipated, they were told that further checks had been requested. “I feel disappointed,” Eugene said. “She has applied previously for a UK visa many, many times, so I’m not clear what they’re actually checking.”

Taitiana said: “We’re told that UK government is helping us, but we don’t feel it.”

Sarah Keeley, an immigration lawyer who has volunteered to offer free legal advice to Ukrainians fleeing the conflict under the Ukraine Advice Project, said she had heard from many people stuck in hotels waiting for visas to be approved. She said the problems were mostly caused by the government’s decision not to waive visas for people travelling from Ukraine. “We are pushing people through a managed migration visa process which necessarily creates these unconscionable delays,” she said.

Natalia, a Scottish university employee, who asked for her surname not to be published, was waiting for her 72-year-old mother’s visa application to be cleared. Her mother fled Kharkiv with just a handbag earlier this month and is stuck in Warsaw until her UK visa, which she applied for a fortnight ago, is processed. “What really infuriates me about this whole situation is not the wait in itself, and not even the significant financial cost, but a total lack of communication and accountability,” Natalia said.

Anna Malyna White, an interpreter from Glasgow, was still waiting for visas for her parents, 84 and 82, to be approved two weeks after they applied. She was staying with them in a hotel outside Budapest. “Everything is done to make this process as difficult and complicated as possible,” she said. “I was advised that my parents should fall into a priority category due to their age and health issues. We are surviving on a credit card as nobody could foresee being drawn into such a complicated red tape visa process. There is no communication with the [Home Office] and there is no mechanism allowing us to track our progress online.”

Figures for the number of people applying to sponsor Ukrainians under the new Homes for Ukraine scheme have not been released.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and the changes we’ve made to the visa process are making it quicker and simpler for Ukrainians to come here, as well as ensuring those already here can stay. Staff are working seven days a week to process applications as quickly as possible.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×