Just over 1,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion have arrived in the UK as the Government’s sponsorship scheme struggles to get off the ground.
Families minister Will Quince admitted a “relatively low” number of displaced people from the war-torn country had been permitted entry through the visa route.
More than 150,000 British families are believed to have registered their interest in housing desperate Ukrainians but are set to be disappointed.
With more than 20,000 visa applications submitted under the new ‘Homes for Ukraine ’ programme it means fewer than one in ten applications have been approved.
“The numbers are relatively low at the moment in terms of people coming over here, but many many are in progress,” Mr Quince told Sky News.
“I want to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who’s reached out seeing those terrible scenes in Ukraine and is offering up their home.”
Government sources admitted to the Mirror that the number of Ukrainian refugees offered visas so far to stay in British homes was “disappointing”.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove, who oversees the scheme, is expected to reveal the latest figures to MPs tomorrow.
But insiders blamed the delay on the Home Office which is responsible for conducting checks on both the hosts and refugees.
“We’re facing the humiliating prospect of the huge generosity of the British public going unmatched, due to Home Office bureaucracy,” one source said.
‘Homes for Ukraine’ was set up earlier this month by the Home Office and Department for Communities following a backlash over the UK’s limited support for refugees compared to the rest of Europe.
It allows individuals and organisations to sign up to offer homes Ukrainians who do not have family ties to the UK, with households receiving £350 a month to cover costs and councils getting £10,000 for each person homed in their area.
A separate visa route for Ukrainian refugees, which permits UK residents to bring family members to the UK, has led to the arrival of 23,000 people, 8,000 of which are children.
