A bighearted Ayrshire gran, who is ready with open arms to house a Ukrainian family fleeing their war-torn country, has been left devastated as the Home Office continues to deny a teenage refugee a Visa.
Liz Guidi has been cleared by North Ayrshire Council to house Ukrainian refugees Tatyana Popova - who was a teacher - and her 14-year-old granddaughter Nicole Popova both are currently living in Poland after having fled invading Russian forces in February.
But the driving instructor from Irvine sits alone in her spare bedroom waiting on the pair as the UK Government continues to deny teenage Nicole's Visa. Nicole's mum, Anna, remained in Ukraine when the war began and there has been no contact with her for a month.
Despite being with her grandmother, Nicole is considered to be alone in Poland by the Home Office.
Caring gran of four, Liz, has been on tenterhooks for months fighting for the Popovas to be granted entry to the country.
Fretful Liz explained: "Tatyana was a pupil of mine and even after she moved back to Ukraine we kept in touch.
"When the war began I messaged her to find out if there was anything I could do.
"Tatyana's Visa came through and in April they travelled to the airport but were turned away because they didn't have the child's Visa.
"They went to the Warsaw Centre and applied for Nicole's Visa and did biometrics and they've been waiting ever since.
"I've called numerous times to the helpline and my MP - there isn't much else I can do.
"It's so frustrating.
"We don't know if Nicole's mother is alive or dead.
"I don't know what else the government would need. I mean, this is a 14-year-old child and her grandmother here fleeing their country and they need help."
Nicole is just one of around a thousand Ukrainian kids stuck in limbo in the EU waiting on safe and legal passage to the UK.
Nicole's uncle Emilio, who remained in Kyiv when the war broke out, spoke about how the delay has affected his mum and niece.
He said: "Most people's lives are pretty much broken right now in Ukraine.
"My mum worries a lot and all my niece wants is to go home but she knows she can't.
"And it's making Nicole frustrated with my mum sometimes but she's just a kid so it's understandable.
"I've been getting a lot of emails about Nicole's Visa and I'm hopeful things will start to get a move on now; my mum has a document stating she is Nicole's guardian.
"All we can do is wait and keep working with the authorities and try to get Nicole a Visa."
Liz has contacted SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford to help fight for the Popova's.
Commenting, Dr Whitford said: "The issue, in this case, reflects all the difficulties faced by Ukrainian families trying to come to the UK.
“Unlike other European countries, the UK has refused to waive the need for Visas and the Home Office demands, and often processes, separate applications for each family member.
“The Scottish Government, unfortunately, have no power to set aside this requirement nor have they any control over the Home Office.
“That said, Home Office staff are trying to help MPs resolve such cases but the demand is extremely high and the underlying issue is the failure of the UK Government to simply remove the Visa requirement.
“My team have been involved in trying to resolve many cases such as this one, where there is a delay in receiving a Visa for one family member, thus preventing the whole family from travelling, but it can take weeks to make the necessary progress.
“We are continuing to deal with the Home Office to try to get Tatyana and Nicole to Scotland as soon as possible."
The UK government has extended its Homes for Ukraine scheme for another month and it is understood they will begin processing applications of the 1000-odd Ukrainian kids with Visa's on hold in the coming weeks.
Lord Harrington, Minister for Refugees, said: “We have seen the demand for allowing children to travel on the Homes for Ukraine scheme with parental consent. We have seen many applications where families want their children to travel to safety in the UK but where parents cannot travel with them.”
“We understand families are having to make difficult decisions to separate from their children where it is in their best interest , which is why we have extended the Homes for Ukraine scheme to allow this.”
“It is important we took the time to get this right - we have worked across government and with the Ukrainian government to find a solution to ensure we can continue offering safety to as many Ukrainians as possible while also welcoming more children into the UK.”
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