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The number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK under new visa programmes has risen by more than 10,000 in a little more than a week, new figures show.
About 37,400 people had arrived in the UK under Ukrainian visa programmes as of Tuesday, government data published on Friday show. This is up from the 27,100 recorded on Monday, April 25.
The latest arrivals include 19,500 people entering under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship project, up from the 11,100 registered last week, and another 17,900 people have arrived under the family programme, up from 16,000.
The Homes for Ukraine programme has faced widespread criticism over the length of time it generally takes for refugees to receive visas and make the trip to the UK.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the government's visa programme was not “fit for purpose in responding to a humanitarian crisis”.
Mr Solomon said the rise in arrivals was a result of delays between people being granted visas and being cleared to travel to the UK.
While more could arrive in the coming weeks, officials say the number of people coming to the country through the family programme is “plateauing”.
Alex Fraser, director of refugee support at the British Red Cross, called on the government to temporarily waive visa requirements for Ukrainians so they can reach the UK “quickly and safely”.
“The whole process is taking far too long. Families are being left in limbo and often experience great financial and emotional strain as a result,” he said.
The latest figures show the number of people who have received visas and are coming to the UK is growing, but the majority — about six in 10 — have not yet arrived.
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A Ukrainian refugee waits to be given shelter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. AFP -
Campaigner Rend Platings, right, embraces her Ukrainian best friend Kristina Korniiuk as they are reunited outside her home in Cambridge. Ms Platings went on hunger strike until MsKorniiuk's UK visa was approved and painted her house in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. PA -
Ukrainian women attend a job-seekers' meeting aboard the 'Mediterranee' ferry, where they are living while it remains docked in Marseille, southern France. AFP -
Refugee schoolchildren are given Ukrainian primary school education in Berlin, where they also have the choice of attending German schools. Getty -
Teacher Katja with Artem, Sofia and Alexander, refugee schoolchildren who are receiving Ukrainian curriculum primary school education in Berlin, Germany. Getty -
Ukrainian refugee Alikhan Yusupov, 10, on his first day at Caldecote Primary School after his family fled their home in Kharkiv and moved to Cambridgeshire, England. PA -
Roman Starkov plays with nephew Alikhan as they settle into their new home in Caldecote, near Cambridge, after they fled Kharkiv. PA -
Ukrainian refugee Egor Svichkar, 3, whose family now live with a British host. PA -
Ukrainian refugees Yaroslav Kryvoshyia and Irina Kryvoviaz, with her son Sasha as they settle into their new home in North Moreton, Oxfordshire. PA -
An Ukrainian refugee woman sews in Strasbourg, France, part of project for Ukrainian refugees to find jobs after fleeing the war. AFP -
Ukranian refugee Karolina, 16, laughs as she prepares for a party at the La Ville-aux-Dames camp site, her family's temporary home in La Ville-aux-Dames, central France. AFP -
Ukrainians queue outside a refugee centre in Paris. AFP -
Myroslava Perevalska (R), an artist who fled Kyiv, helps a Ukrainian girl paint Easter eggs in Berlin. Getty Images -
The 'Beacon of Ukraine', a gathering at Markthalle Neun in Berlin, bringing together refugees and NGOs as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture. Getty Images -
Larysa Biachenko, 40, who does not know if her house in Chernihiv is still standing, and Svitlana Lykhonos, 43, who was the owner of a hotel restaurant in Frankiusk, peel onions at a special cooking course run by the regional government to offer them a job opportunity, in Alicante, Spain. Reuters -
A convoy of Ukrainian refugees who left Mariupol, accompanied by 17 volunteers, arrive at Juan Carlos I park in Madrid. EPA -
Ukrainian refugees, who arrived in Italy from Lviv after two weeks of travel, are tended to in the reception centre of the Red Cross in Settimo Torinese, near Turin. EPA
There have been a number of cases in which families have been unable to travel to the UK because not all family members have received the documentation necessary for travel.
Government officials believe some people applied for visas so they have the option of coming to the UK but are staying near Ukraine so they can return home sooner.
This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the UK could have reacted faster in helping Ukrainian refugees, but told ITV's Good Morning Britain that “large numbers” are now coming to the UK.
Also this week, a group of would-be hosts threatened the government with legal action on behalf of hundreds of refugees who have been waiting since March to receive their visas.
The latest figures show 33 per cent of people who have been granted visas under the Homes for Ukraine programme have travelled to the UK, up from about a fifth last week.
And 49.3 per cent of those with visas under the family programme have arrived, up from 45.8 per cent.
By Thursday, about 125,100 applications had been made for visas and 95,500 had been issued.
These include 44,200 applications under the family programme — of which 36,300 have been granted — and 80,900 applications under the sponsorship programme — of which 59,100 have been granted.
More than three quarters of applications for visas under both programmes have been granted, the figures show.
