The Home Office has opened the door for a seven-year-old Ukrainian girl to stay in Scotland with her mother after the Daily Record stepped in.
Anna Shutova flew out to Poland to rescue daughter Alina after we outlined shocking failures in the visa system for those fleeing the war.
Mum Anna, who works at a farm in the Scottish Borders, was told that her daughter could not enter the country because she was here on a temporary visa.
She was within days of giving up her life and home in Scotland and joining the sea of refugees in Poland, with no money, no job and no place to live.
After the Record outlined the plight last week, the Home Office sorted the red-tape wrangle.
Now, Anna has travelled to Warsaw for an emotional reunion with Alina, who is set to fly back to Scotland with her to live with the family of sponsor Catherine Oram.
Relieved Catherine said: “Everyone has been through all sorts of stress but I can’t really express how relieved we are that this is all getting sorted out.
“The situation seemed to have hit a brick wall and it seemed to us that no one was prepared to look at this case and see how absurd the delays were.
“But when the Daily Record picked it up, there was a dramatic change in attitude and we were contacted by an official who sorted it out very quickly.
“I would very much like to hope that the learnings in this case can be used to speed up things for other Ukrainian families coming to Scotland and the UK, as each one is a family in crisis.”
Catherine said she hopes to have Anna and Alina at home with her family within days.
The Home Office said: “The changes the Home Office has made to streamline the visa system... are working and we are now processing visas as quickly as they come in – enabling thousands more Ukrainians to come.”
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