Two sponsors have criticised the Home Office for delays in processing visa applications for Ukrainian refugees, describing the process as 'shameful'. David Hoare from Lewes, East Sussex, is sponsoring a 17-year-old from Kyiv whose parents cannot travel due to caring for his grandmother. Despite the teenager speaking good English and having his mother's consent, the Home Office has not processed his application. Local children's services have refused to conduct checks because he is not eligible for a visa as an unaccompanied minor.
Hoare, whose partner is a magistrate and who has undergone criminal record checks for working with vulnerable people, believes the delays reflect the government's 'hostile environment'. He is now seeking help from a solicitor. Meanwhile, Doric Bossom from Pitton, Wiltshire, is sponsoring Julia, a 37-year-old Ukrainian refugee from Odesa with a four-month-old baby. Julia's husband serves in the Ukrainian navy, and she is currently sheltering in Spain.
Five weeks after applying for visas, Julia and her baby have not received them. The UK government required the baby to undergo biometric testing in Madrid, an eight-hour round trip, and now the family must wait for a hard-copy visa to be shipped. Bossom noted that even their local MP cannot access information to sustain Julia's hopes. 'The process is utterly shameful and shows the UK in a very poor light,' he said.
