The government came under fire after it was revealed that only 1% of Ukrainian visa applications had been processed
The British government has finally made it easier for Ukrainian refugees to enter the UK.
The visa application process will now be fully digital for those with passports and ID cards, meaning that only complex or vulnerable cases will have to go through visa application centres in Europe.
🇺🇦🇬🇧BIG CHANGE. From Tuesday the Ukrainian visa scheme will be DIGITAL for those with passports and ID cards. So only complex or vulnerable cases will have have to go to visa application centres in Europe. This has been agreed with the security services. (1)
— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) March 10, 2022
The change will allow Ukrainians to complete the visa application process before leaving the country and arriving in Calais.
This frees up capacity and crucially allows people to do the whole process in Ukraine before they leave. (3)
— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) March 10, 2022
The government has come under fire in recent days for the number of fleeing Ukrainians it has let into the UK in comparison to other European countries.
Earlier in the week, it was revealed that only 1 per cent of Ukrainian visa applications had been processed, with the government offering just 50 visas to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
It was then reported that the pop-up visa centre for Ukrainian refugees looking to enter the UK would be set up in Lille, 70 miles away from Calais where many refugees were waiting.
Over the weekend, the French government urged the UK to do more to help fleeing Ukrainians trying to get across the Channel to Britain.
Related links:
- Heart-stopping video shows Ukrainians disabling bomb with bare hands and water bottle
- ‘One of the world’s deadliest snipers’ flies into Ukraine after answering Zelenskyy’s plea
- Tory MP defends offering 50 visas to Ukrainian refugees in car crash interview
