A family from Livingston say they are at a loss as they desperately try to get their friend’s family of six visas as they flee from Ukraine.
And they claim they have had little to no help from the Home Office.
John and Irina Young have rented a home for the Ukrainian family in Linlithgow and have, alongside dozens of others from the West Lothian community, gathered funds, provisions, and more for Ukrainian refugees who are supposed to be arriving in West Lothian this month.
The Young family have an immigration lawyer to assist in the process, and submitted all required documentation on March 20.
But their Ukrainian friends have yet to receive their visas and are still living out of their car in Germany with three young children and a baby.
John Young said: “We understand that the Home Office are working very hard but we’re just pleading with them to look at this family’s documentation supplied via our legal representation and speed the process up.
“Their new home is waiting here and is being paid for.”
After contacting the office of Hannah Bardell, the MP for Livingston, she took action and put pressure on the Home Office to sort the issue.
She was told on April 5 that all of the family’s six visas had been approved. However, just five days later on April 10, when the MP called for an update from the Home Office, she was told one of the visas had not been approved with no explanation.
The Ukrainian family remain in limbo, the only correspondence they received being a visa approval for their eldest child, despite the Home Office’s assurance to Hannah Bardell that at least five of the six visas had been granted.
Hannah Bardell said: “It is truly heartening to see the generosity and kindness of folk across Livingston and beyond, at a time of unimaginable pain and trauma for Ukrainian citizens.
“However, in a situation that requires immediate attention and urgency the UK Home Office is once again dragging its heels.
“My team and I spent over three hours collectively on hold to UKVI, as well as sending numerous emails in an attempt to resolve this matter and provide a small piece of reassurance to this family who are
fleeing for safety.
“The UK Government’s system is not fit for purpose and the loss of life as a result of the Home Office’s incompetency is simply unforgivable.”
Locals have got together money to give the family when they arrive, a local school has spaces and uniforms ready for children arriving, people have built beds, cots, and the Young family are even covering the bills for the Ukrainian family’s home when they arrive.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion we have launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history.
“In just four weeks, over 40,000 visas have been issued so people can rebuild their lives in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.
“We are continuing to speed up visa processing across both schemes, including boosting caseworkers and simplifying the forms and we expect thousands more to come through these uncapped routes.”
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