Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Homes for Ukraine: Family's 'torturous' wait for a UK visa

Homes for Ukraine: Family's 'torturous' wait for a UK visa

A British woman said she is expecting a "torturous" weeks-long wait before the Ukrainian refugee family she is sponsoring receives visas to travel.

Joanne Turner from Norwich said the refugees made their application as soon as the scheme opened on 18 March.

But three weeks on, Iryna, her daughter Sofia and her mother Elena are still stuck sharing a flat with a Polish family in Krakow.

"The feeling of uncertainty is the most frustrating," says Irina.

A government spokesperson said it had launched one of the "fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history" following the invasion.

But as Home Secretary Priti Patel apologised for visa delays, Joanne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it felt as if their application was getting "nowhere, really".

She said they had made the application "as soon as the lines were first open" and had prepared their home, passing checks to ensure they had suitable accommodation.

"We had hoped that in a few days Iryna and her mum, Elena, and her little girl Sofia, would be with us in Norwich," she said. "Everything is ready."

But it was impossible to get a timeframe from the authorities, Joanne said, describing the responses from the government helpline as "pretty crazy stuff".

"We've been trying everything. There's a government helpline that you can get through to. I called them and they basically said we can't give you any information," she said.

"They were basically saying we are told to say nothing, we can't give any information on the status of the application."

Joanne said the process is "frustrating" for her, "but for Iryna and her family and all the other families that are trying to get to the UK, it's torturous really".

She told the BBC that they had shared photos of their house and their dog, an Irish setter called Rathlin, with the family as they waited. "Her little girl just wants to meet our dog," said Joanne.


In the meantime, Iryna and her family are sharing an apartment in Krakow with a Polish family.

She said the family have been kind but have been asking her how long she needs to stay and she doesn't know the answer.

"We expected to stay here a few days until all the documents were going to be ready. But it seems the time is going to be prolonged for a few weeks, not a couple of days," Iryna said.

"The feeling of uncertainty is the most frustrating, because if we knew how long it's going to be - a few more days, a few more weeks... Nobody is able to provide you with exact information about the timing."

She said her daughter is seven and has now missed more than a month of school since the invasion began.

They could not make any permanent arrangements in Poland because the country, which has seen more than 2.5 million cross the border since Russia attacked, is "overloaded with other Ukrainian refugees", Iryna said.

But she said she was "grateful" for the "proactive" efforts of British people and said she hoped it would be possible to find shelter in a few days.

The government spokesperson added: "In just four weeks, over 40,000 visas have been issued so people can rebuild their lives in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.

"We are continuing to speed up visa processing across both schemes, including boosting caseworkers and simplifying the forms and we expect thousands more to come through these uncapped routes."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
Canada: Nurse Suspended and Fined 93 Thousand Dollars After Stating the World’s Most Well-Known Fact Since the Creation of Adam and Eve, That There Are Only Two Genders
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Whitney Bessent Backs Stablecoins to Boost Treasury Demand
Spain to Declare Disaster Zones After Massive Wildfires
Three-Minute Battery Swap Touted as Future of EVs
Beijing Military Parade to Showcase Weapons Advances
U.S. Tech Stocks Slide on AI Boom Concerns
White House Confirms Talks Over Intel Stake
Trump Suggests U.S. Could Support Ukraine ‘By Air’
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
UK Government Tries to Sue 4chan for Breaching Online Safety Act
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
"Every Centimeter of Your Body Is a Masterpiece": The Shocking Meta Document Revealed
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
China Requires Data Centres to Source Majority of AI Chips Locally, For Technological Sovereignty
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
OpenAI’s ‘PhD-Level’ ChatGPT 5 Stumbles, Struggles to Even Label a Map
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×