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Corrie David

The stark number of Ukrainians taking refuge in other countries compared to the UK

The UK has so far only granted "around 50" refugee visas to Ukrainians escaping war, says the Home Office.

The data, which is correct as of 10am Sunday, March 6, leaves the UK far behind the rest of Europe in its efforts to support those who have been forced to leave Ukraine due to Russian invasion.

These visas have been granted under the 'Ukraine Family Scheme' and amount to less than 1% of the 5,535 applications that have been submitted online, not including the 2,368 people that have booked appointments to submit visa applications in person.

An extra 11,750 people have started online applications that are yet to be completed.

Elsewhere, Ireland has accepted about 1,800 Ukrainian refugees so far, according to the Taoiseach, with around two thirds of those arriving having family connections to Ireland, though that number is decreasing.

Over one million refugees have arrived in Poland so far, with 142,300 arriving yesterday alone, The Polish Border Guard said on Monday, March 7.

It's estimated that around 169,000 refugees have arrived in Hungary, 113,000 in Slovakia, 84,000 in Moldova, 71,000 in Romania and around 157,000 elsewhere in the EU.

The Russian invasion has so far pushed an estimated 1.5 million people to flee the country, creating what has been described as "the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe" since the Second World War.

Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, said the rate was "certainly not a success", while shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: "This is too slow."

The Government expects the number of Ukrainians being granted visas for the UK to increase "very, very quickly", a minister has said.

It was reported on Sunday that Home Secretary Priti Patel is examining "legal options" to create a "humanitarian route", which would offer all Ukrainian refugees the right to come to the UK, regardless of whether they have family ties here.

But it is unclear whether this referred to a sponsorship scheme that has already been announced, with Europe minister James Cleverly saying on Monday that there had been no change to the plans over the weekend.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday morning, Mr Cleverly said the Government has made it "absolutely clear" it wants to support Ukrainians seeking refuge. He acknowledged that "only small numbers have come so far" but "the process has only just started".

Mr Cleverly also told LBC that the number of Ukrainians being granted visas for the UK will increase "very, very quickly" but the scale of the crisis is "unprecedented".

"This is the largest refugee flow that we have seen since the Second World War," he said.

The Home Office "had to create a system pretty much from scratch", he said, and the process "will get quicker and slicker and faster".

"It will take a little time to get the system up and running, that's now there, I have no doubt that the numbers will start coming through," he said.

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