Welsh families who have offered to home Ukrainian refugees have criticised the UK government for the "frustrating" and "embarrassing" delay in providing safety for those fleeing the war-torn country. Although hundreds of thousands of people have volunteered to provide shelter, the visa processing system is causing lengthy delays.
While other countries have shipped refugees into the country before processing paperwork, to enter the UK all refugees need VISAs. There is currently a 3-week delay in processing which has left many confused and upset. In March, the UK Government said it was expanding application capacity to 13,000 a week.
Households in the UK will be offered a tax-free payment of £350 a month to open their homes to refugees, regardless of how many individuals they are offering to accommodate. Read more: Ukraine says it hit Russian ship Moskva with missiles, leaving it badly damaged
Through the help of social media, and those who have connections with family and friends in the country, many refugees have been contacted by Welsh families who want to sponsor them and provide them with a home. However, the delays have meant that many have yet to arrive in Wales.
Catherine Hummel, 49, and her family are welcoming two families who want to stay together into their home in Caernarfon. The delays have meant that these have yet to arrive. She said: “It just feels like we’re giving them false hope. They don’t complain at all, they wait patiently, but it is so frustrating.”
The group submitted their application on March 24 and it took them ten hours to complete. There have also been complaints about the process which has been dubbed confusing and difficult to complete for refugees who have often fled their homes with little possessions.
Nataliia Isaieva, 39, one of the mothers sponsored by the Hummel family explained that without basic knowledge of English and documents, the process was impossible. Ms Isaieva, her two daughters and their family friend Liudmyla Yatsiuk, 47 and her daughter had to fill out each of the five documents separately.
To make matters worse, after having completed this process, the website glitched and they had to resubmit their documents all over again. The group refuses to leave their home in Odessa, Ukraine until they have confirmation of their VISAS, and while four have come through they are still waiting for one of the mother’s passports. Ms Hummel said that the bureaucracy on the UK Home Office is excessively complex and that she is disappointed with the system.
Debbie Green, 48 and her husband Tony, 53 of Caernarfon decided to welcome a Ukrainian refugee and her dog into their home, but they have had no news on their application submitted on March 20. Ms Green said: “Olga was told that she would hear back within 3-5 days, we are now on day 23. We just don’t know where we stand and there’s no means of getting updates.”
After a Facebook Page organised the escape of Olga Yakovleva, 57 and her dog Colet from Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, Ms Yakovleva was given a one bedroom apartment by one of the social media group in Budapest for as long as her VISA took. “We’re lucky that Olga is safe, for some refugees they are being bumped from hotel to hotel,” explained Ms Green.
She said: “It's been stressful for all parties. And quite honestly, if I had to sum it up in two words, ordeal. I don't think it really needs to be. This is a failure on the part of the UK Government,” she added.
The 48-year-old explained that she wants to help Ms Yakovleva heal from the trauma she has experienced, but they are stuck in a purgatory of waiting.
“These people are already exhausted. They're traumatised. And what we're seeing now is now they've been forced to stop. They are suffering with the onset of post-traumatic stress; they need an environment where they can feel safe and settled. They need professional help for what they are dealing with.”
Ms Green said that the process has been so long and difficult that people have given up. Families in Ukraine can’t wait in the country where the war continues so they have given up and travelled to Ireland where no VISA is needed, or other European countries. She added that even hosts have given up as the process is so emotionally draining that they can’t put themselves through it again.
Sara Wheeler, 44 of Llanbrynmyr volunteered last week at the Refugee centre in Przemysl on the Polish/Ukraine border and said that the delay has had a massive impact. “There was no government presence, so it was just volunteers reading the guidelines. We told people about the delays, and they just walked away.
“It was embarrassing, I spoke to one lady and told her how we would love to offer her safety, but that there was a delay. “She responded, “you don’t want us then, what am I supposed to do for 3 weeks?” and then walked away,” Ms Wheeler said.
For some the wait is too long, Ms Wheeler kept in touch with some of the refugees once she returned home and found that they were restless and tried to travel to Italy and Germany. But due to the language barrier have returned to Poland. Others have given up and returned to Ukraine.
Svetlana Davies, 42 of Newport has been trying to bring her childhood friend Katerina Kovalova and her two children to Wales but have had no communication since March 22.
Mrs Kovalova, 42, a teacher of Avdiivka in the Donets region travelled to Poland on a 14-hour train with her six-year-old daughter Viktoria and eight-year-old son Kostyantyn. Ms Kovalova has had to leave her husband Roman in Ukraine as part of the national army.
After having completed the VISA application for the UK on March 22, the family has been living out of a suitcase. They have been given accommodation; the Ukrainian teacher is sharing a single bunk bed mattress with her daughter while her son sleeps above them.
Mrs Davies said: “They were told they only had to wait 2-3 days; it has been nearly three weeks now. Obviously, we understand that there are 40,000, 50,000 applications. Maybe they didn’t realise the number of applications they would get but it shouldn’t take this long,” she said.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The requirement to be sponsored and to have a visa to enter the UK is set by the UK Government. They are also responsible for the speed of processing visa applications. We have made clear to UK Ministers the importance of processing super sponsor applications quickly, and have been given assurances these applications are being processed as a priority.
“Wales is proud to be a Nation of Sanctuary, and is playing a full part in the UK and international humanitarian response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Welsh Government is acting as a “super-sponsor” to enable 1,000 people fleeing Ukraine to be welcomed to Wales. This is in addition to people across Wales who are welcoming people from Ukraine into their homes via the UK-wide Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“Through our Team Wales approach, we continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that all the wraparound services are in place to support people arriving from Ukraine.”
The UK Government were approached for comment.
