The UK Continues To Hold Back War Refugees Leaving Many To Die Waiting for Visas in Warzones

The U.K. Government is continuing to frustrate and hold back war refugees as Positive Action in Housing directly assists over seven hundred Ukrainian refugee families to reach the U.K. and Ireland. The Scottish Government agreed to act as a super sponsor for 3,000 Ukrainians but only 30 Ukrainians have  been granted visas. How many have arrived here, we guess very few. Every country in Europe and Scandinavia is giving visa free travel to Ukrainians. The U.K. is the only country to impose visas and sponsorship requirements on war refugees. This is in flagrant disregard of the refugee convention. Refugees do not require visas.

What started as an attempt to find safe host-sponsors through Room for Refugees for Ukrainian refugees has turned into an operation to guide people out of war zones to reach safety in the U.K. or Ireland.  We have prepared resources to help people leave Ukraine as well as apply for visas and sponsors. We have organised hosts for the most urgent cases. In other cases we advise choosing the Scottish Government as a sponsor. But as the situation gets more and more dangerous, families are deserting their apartments and we have no option but to advise those in grave danger to plan a route to Ireland visa-free.

A small team of us are working with volunteers in Scotland, Ireland and Ukraine to track the progress of almost seven hundred families. The priority is those who are in war zones. Barely a handful of people have been given U.K. visas. 3-year olds or 5-year olds have been given visas. Or one member of a family got a visa. But whole families have not received visas. Not a single one. This means no one in the family can travel. 

Some of the people who asked us for help with visas and sponsors  are right now in grave danger in Eastern Ukraine. Families are getting very upset. Had they left two weeks ago, they might have had a chance, but they are literally waiting to be killed. People waited for visas and sponsors to come through, and it has not happened. We have paid for safe passage for young people. This week we are arranging for two families with children and babies from Eastern Ukraine, and a young woman left stranded in the Donbas region who sought our help to enter Ireland visa free, as the UK route is not only impassable but dangerous to wait for. Your donation will support those in greatest need to find safety. 

Some of the people who asked us for help, waited in good faith for visas and are in grave danger of their lives in Eastern Ukraine. Had they left over two weeks ago, they might have had a chance. Now they are waiting to be killed in their apartments. These are people who waited for UK visas, but it has not happened. For them it is too late. The responsibility for this delay lies at the door of the U.K. government. It is heart-breaking.

These are just two examples out of the seven hundred cases we are currently tracking.

32-year-old Anna*’s life was middle class and normal until the war. waited for a U.K. visa in a basement with five others in the Donbas region. No water, no toilets. Her Her husband, a journalist, is in the war. Her mother is staying as a nurse. She visits her empty apartment to charge her phone and then returns to the basement. We advised her to attempt to reach the border and have arranged a flight to Ireland which is visa free. If her U.K. visa comes through then she can travel on. But why did she wait. Because the  U.K. government offered a false opportunity and she put herself in further danger. Every other country was open to her, except the U.K.

37 year old Volodymyr*, is in Donetsk near the Russian border. He has a disability and military dispensation. His parents are in Kyiv. He is in his empty apartment also, there are few people around and only the sounds of bombs overhead. He is terrified to leave his apartment because, he says, even disabled men are now being conscripted. He waited patiently also for a visa to the U.K. He is basically waiting to be killed. We see little way of helping him reach safety because of the war and remain in contact when there is internet.

The U.K. Government is clearly frustrating attempts by Ukrainians to find a safe route here. They are putting up blocks to delay their travel. This has put in further danger the lives of people who do not have the luxury of waiting. Instead they continue to mount a smokescreen, throwing money at pointless initiatives, when they should immediately lift visa restrictions, have U.K. officials in the ports and stations at bordering countries to help people - especially women, children and unaccompanied minors - to reach the U.K. safely.

Urgent Humanitarian Appeal - Ukraine

Please support this vital appeal to help us bring women, children and unaccompanied minors to safety by directly facilitating safe passage and shelter. Donate here  or visit this page for other way to give.